GUARDIAN ANGELS
YOU South Africa|22 August 2024
They're devoted family pets - but watch out, they could rip your arm off. Here's why royalty, billionaires and celebrities are firing their bodyguards and replacing them with loyal, highly-trained dogs
HILARY ROSE
GUARDIAN ANGELS

KEVIN is a giant schnauzer. He likes cuddles and walkies and treats. But he will, on command, bite your arm off. Then he'll go back to his owner for a tummy tickle. It's a similar story with Highlander, a German-Dutch-Belgian shepherd cross. He weighs 36kg and loves babies and small children, and you'd be exceptionally ill advised to make him fear for their safety.

Kevin and Highlander were trained by different people, on opposite sides of the Atlantic, but they're both prime examples of the latest must-have for people who have it all: personal-protection dogs, the four-legged status symbol with the six-figure price tag.

"This isn't an attack dog," says Leedor Borlant, who's nearly finished training Kevin and describes him as a wolf in sheep's clothing. "It's a pet that will protect you, a private bodyguard that's a family member." Kevin looks up at his handler through his fluffy black fringe and wags his tail. He's two years old and built like a bungalow. Raised and trained by Borlant's company, Protection Dogs Worldwide, Kevin has a helpfully hypoallergenic coat and a relatively modest £50 000 (R1,15 million) price tag.

Depending on what they're trained to do, the entry-level price for one of Borlant's dogs is £30 000 (R690 000), rising to £120 000 (R2,76m). Bruno, a German shepherd, has been bought by an ultra-high-net-worth individual based in Cape Town, and dogs with Bruno's capabilities sell for £80 000 (R1,84m) up.

Mr X, as we'll call him, lives a life of yachts, boats and private jets, and faces constant credible threats to his safety. Borlant doesn't know exactly what he does. "But he's definitely not a drug dealer. We check people out. If I think the dog is going to be put in a bad situation, I won't sell it."

Mr X has two former SAS soldiers with him at all times, but bodyguards aren't without problems. They invade your personal space and limit your freedom, and they also attract attention.

Esta historia es de la edición 22 August 2024 de YOU South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición 22 August 2024 de YOU South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE YOU SOUTH AFRICAVer todo
BALLON IN THE BAG
YOU South Africa

BALLON IN THE BAG

Manchester City midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante says his Ballon d'Or win is a victory for Spanish football

time-read
4 minutos  |
14 November 2024
IT WAS ALL A LIE
YOU South Africa

IT WAS ALL A LIE

A new doccie exposes the Grey's Anatomy writer who fabricated her life story

time-read
5 minutos  |
14 November 2024
'I WILL NEVER GIVE UP'
YOU South Africa

'I WILL NEVER GIVE UP'

After her husband, anticorruption activist Alexei Navalny, was poisoned and murdered by the Kremlin, she became the public face of Russia's opposition. In this candid interview Yulia Navalnaya opens up about life on the run, her perilous family life and why she's continuing her husband's fight to save their country

time-read
10+ minutos  |
14 November 2024
AGREE TO DISAGREE
YOU South Africa

AGREE TO DISAGREE

Trevor Noah on how his childhood squabbles with his mother inspired his delightful new book

time-read
4 minutos  |
14 November 2024
PAUSE THE CLOCK
YOU South Africa

PAUSE THE CLOCK

Researchers have discovered that the ageing process spikes at 44 and 60. Here's what you can do to slow it down

time-read
5 minutos  |
14 November 2024
MPOOMY ON TOP
YOU South Africa

MPOOMY ON TOP

We chat to SA's most popular female podcaster about love, loss and her booming success

time-read
4 minutos  |
14 November 2024
MY BROTHER IS NOT TO BLAME
YOU South Africa

MY BROTHER IS NOT TO BLAME

Tinus Drotské says his sibling, ex Bok Nǎka, is the victim in the brawl with a neighbour that landed up in court

time-read
4 minutos  |
14 November 2024
MATT THE RECLUSE
YOU South Africa

MATT THE RECLUSE

A year after his friend's tragic death, the actor continues to shun the spotlight

time-read
4 minutos  |
14 November 2024
A LEAP OF FAITH
YOU South Africa

A LEAP OF FAITH

After her husband tried to kill her by tampering with her parachute she thought she'd never trust a man again-but now she's found love

time-read
5 minutos  |
14 November 2024
THEY'RE MY KIDS!
YOU South Africa

THEY'RE MY KIDS!

This West Coast woman treats her monkeys as iftheyre humans and animal activists are not happy about it

time-read
4 minutos  |
14 November 2024