YARMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - A Yarmouth couple said their dog helped stop an intruder who had broken into their house.

Patricia Mulkeen, 91, said she knew something was wrong when Pepper, her 12-year-old Wheaton Terrier, woke her up by barking early Tuesday morning. Mulkeen said she grabbed a flashlight to look around, thinking Pepper may have seen a raccoon outside. As Mulkeen walked into the dining room, she found a man standing there.

“I wasn’t frightened, I was just surprised,” Mulkeen said.

Police said the man Mulkeen found in her dining room was 28-year-old Joseph Parent. Mulkeen’s husband, Jack Mulkeen, said Parent was probably surprised to see his wife.

“My wife at 91 years old gets out of bed and she’s stark naked,” Jack Mulkeen said. “And here’s this young guy in his 20’s looking at a naked 91-year-old woman. That’d be enough to make him faint; it’s a shock.”

Mulkeen said Parent said, “Sorry, ma’am” to her and immediately left her house through the basement. Her husband then called police and officers arrested Parent nearby. Police said Parent is well-known to law enforcement on the Cape and he will be charged with breaking and entering and drug possession.

The Mulkeens said they are thankful their normally quiet dog was on alert.

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