Two dogs alerted a Toronto couple about an intruder whose recent attempted break-in of their west-end apartment was caught on security cameras.

Emily and Steve — who asked we only use their first names, for security reasons — were asleep at about 3 a.m. when a man in a blue sweatshirt, seen on security footage, kicked down their street-level front door.

He then lit a cigarette and, visible to a second camera, went up the stairs to the interior front door, which leads into the apartment.

Their dogs, five-year-old Ninja and 11-month-old Nuc, started barking furiously, waking the couple.

"At the top of the stairs, I heard a huge bang," Emily told CBC News.

She turned the dead-bolt on the door but, "when he heard me, somehow his intentions changed to something even maybe worse."

Pets will be 'eating steak all week'

The intruder grabbed a fire extinguisher, sprayed the second camera and delivered three strong kicks to the interior door, taking it down.

It is believed he entered the apartment. A deep, loud yell from Steve then scared him off.

Police are investigating, but have yet to release a formal description of the suspect.

The couple is shaken, but credit their dogs with keeping them safe.

"They're eating steak all week," Steve said.

They posted the footage online, where it has already been seen by more than 30,000 people.

"This is a good neighbourhood. We want to make sure everybody knows he's out there," said Emily.