GUARDIAN ANGELS

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

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.