HOUSTON, TX (CNN) — A protective dog saved its neighbor from a violent mugging.  

Jose Luis Hernandez says he had $200 in his pocket and $700 in his wallet when he got home from cashing his paycheck for the week.  

As he got home, a man approached him, asking him to put his dog away.  

Hernandez continued to check his mail, when the man, armed with a rock, demanded his wallet.  

The man pushed Hernandez into a ditch when he refused and snatched the $200 out of his pocket. 

Hernandez told KPRC he started hitting and kicking the suspect, but his neighbor’s dog, Ace, came to his rescue.  

Video shows the suspect running from the dog as soon as it gets close.   

The thief was able to get away in a black vehicle that was waiting for him 

Hernandez says if it weren’t for Ace, the suspect may have seriously hurt him.