The small dog named Lady could be found inside Quisqueya Super Market in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Her mouth hid inside a Styrofoam cup of café con leche. Faint slurps could be heard if you got close enough.

Lady’s owner, Carlos Jaime, drank his own coffee and bent over a table, devouring a roll. Man and dog have gone everywhere together over the last 17 years.

“My dog drinks café con leche, eats spaghetti with salami, picadillo… she eats steak,” Jaime listed in Spanish. “She doesn’t eat dog food.”

And though Lady be but little, she is fierce.

“She takes good care of our home,” the 72-year-old Jaime added. “She doesn’t let anyone enter the house.”

The elderly Lady stood watch over the cup on the dingy checkered floor, her eyes fixed on anyone who grew too close. She warned the public through sharp barks, but they weren’t enough.

Lady’s anxiety grew and she lunged forward, spilling the beloved café con leche she worked so hard to protect.

(LISTEN: Lady’s owner shares what she likes to eat in the below audio clip)