A four-legged hero with a funny name is at home recovering after being stabbed protecting his owner.

McLovin, a four-year-old black Labrador Retriever, sprang into action during an attempted robbery Friday night.

The dog’s owner, a Saskatoon man who opted to remain anonymous, said an attacker showed up at his doorstep around 10 p.m.

When the man made a move to hurt the homeowner, McLovin jumped between the two and was stabbed in the neck.

“I guess he just sensed that I was in trouble and he got between me and the guy that was here with a knife, and just took one for me,” the owner told CTV Saskatoon.

McLovin was taken to the veterinary medical centre at the University of Saskatchewan with a near-fatal wound near his jugular. He was discharged on Saturday to recover at home.

“I was actually very surprised. He’s not much of a guard dog,” said the owner, who described McLovin as normally “very calm.”

“He will protect his yard and bark at people, but he’s a really good dog.”

With a report from CTV Saskatoon