In the footage posted by user @lovehenesy94, security-camera footage from November 8 shows a 6-year-old boy walking across a front yard when, from the other side of the shot, the neighbor’s large black dog charges towards him.

According to the American Kennel Club, German shepherds were the fourth most-popular dog breed in the U.S in 2021.

In the video, suddenly, just as the dog is almost on the child, a sandy-colored German shepherd called Tank appears, covers the small child with their body, redirects the other dog with impressive agility, and chases it away.

After chasing the other dog away to a safe distance, Tank appears to turn around to check the child is safe. A grey pit bull, also belonging to the OP, also comes to help.

The video caption reads: “Our neighbors dog randomly charged at my son last night and my Tanky saved him from getting mauled or worse.”

The video has been liked more than 1.6 million times, with one user commenting, “Literally have chills because of how incredible the devotion your dog has to your family!! AMAZING video, so thankful your little is okay.”

Canine information website World of Dogz is owned by Sharon Waddington, a former police officer in the U.K., who worked alongside German shepherds for almost 30 years.

She writes on her website: “German shepherds are protective because they were selectively bred to herd sheep and have the desire to protect. Their alertness, agility, and initiative to protect vary from German shepherd to German shepherd, but they can be protective without training, as their natural instincts can inspire them to defend their owners.

“I’ve seen first hand the police German shepherds who will lay down their life in the face of danger for their handler. They are experiences I’ll never forget”, says Waddington.

“They cannot just perceive threats but can even process what might happen if they don’t act. Moreover, their emotional radar is strong enough to pick up on your anxiety even if the situation hasn’t been established as a threat to them. Theoretically, a German shepherd can be smart enough to defend one person from another in domestic abuse cases.”

Users on TikTok were overwhelmed by the footage, with Dattebah0e commenting, “that’s not a German Shepherd… that’s an angel.”

TikToker KatieXI wrote: “Getting your son cover and redirecting the other dog so seamlessly away from your son. Such an amazing and smart dog.”

Angelic Sebrina commented: “awesome i want to congratulate the owners of the sherpard it is your love and dedication to your sherpard that reveals everything.”

Newsweek has reached out to @lovehenesy94 for comment.