SINGAPORE - Man's best friend saved a woman in distress.

MediaCorp actress Chris Tong's dog attacked her robber, preventing him from grabbing the keys to her four-year-old Mercedes-Benz SLKClass car.

The incident happened at 1am yesterday morning in Cheras, a Kuala Lumpur (KL) suburb.

Tong, 30, who is based in KL, was out buying supper.

She was walking with her year-old Maltese, Baby, to her car parked at the side of the street when she was shoved from behind.

She was sent sprawling, bruising the left side of her face.

She also suffered scrapes and bruises to her arms and legs.

She said in a phone interview from KL last night: "I was caught unawares because the man came from behind and I was pushed to the ground.

"At that point, I was too scared to think. My mind went blank."

The man tried to grab her car keys but Baby started barking and tried to attack him.

The man kicked the dog. Fortunately, people who heard the commotion started shouting at the man. The frightened robber then ran off.

Tong said the attacker was tall and had tanned skin.

Lucky

"I was worried for Baby but luckily the robber's kick did not hurt him," she said.

She added that she did not think something like this would happen as the road was well-lit and it was only a five-minute drive from her home, where she lives with her parents.

She said: "I'm really lucky that Baby was with me at the time and that there were other people around. Otherwise I think the man would have stolen my car, or even hurt me."

She added that she has always been a cautious person, and that it was the first time she had got into such a situation.

"I won't go out alone at night any more. This made me realise that when something like this happens, you really can't do anything.

"You're helpless, because you can't anticipate this kind of thing, and your attacker is much stronger than you are."

Tong and her parents made a police report before going to the hospital to get her injuries treated.

She bought Baby last August in KL, even though she was not planning to get a dog.

"But he was so cute - he just stared at me through the glass, almost as if he was begging me to take him home," she said.

The puppy reminded her of her previous dog, a stray which she took in and looked after for 13 years. It died in 2009.

Tong said Baby is an active and clever dog. She takes it almost everywhere, except when she is working.

She even takes the dog to restaurants sometimes.

She was scheduled to come to Singapore yesterday to film the upcoming Channel 8 drama The Journey: A Voyage, which is to be telecast this November.

But she said she is recuperating at home and will have to go for further medical check-ups over the next few days. She is planning to return to work in Singapore by next Monday.

When she returns, she is hoping that make-up will be enough to hide the swelling and bruising on her face, so that her work will not be disrupted.

Tong began her acting career in 2008, appearing in several Malaysian television dramas. She landed her first lead role in The Adjusters, where she acted alongside Taiwan-based actor Lin Yu Zhong.

Her first role in Singapore was in the 2010 Channel 8 drama The Family Court, which also featured Qi Yuwu and Tay Ping Hui.

Tong joined MediaCorp last January and is known to Singaporean audiences for her role in local dramas such as C.L.I.F. (Courage, Loyalty, Integrity and Fairness), 96°C Café and Game Plan.

She has also starred in films like Petaling Street Warriors, The Wedding Diary and The Golden Couple, joint projects between Malaysia and Singapore.

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