*** Rottweiller Saves Lost Child in the Ocala National Forest ***

Subject: Rottie Saves Lost Child
Date: 20 Jul 1996 02:09:49 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems Inc.

From earlier this year:

Story from the St. Peterburgs Times, Florida:

Ocala, Florida:
Samantha the Rottweiler is living large these days ...

Home Depot has built her a new dog house. Her dinner plate
holds T-bone steak, grilled and sauteed shrimp, Oreo cookies.
Phil Donahue and other TV hosts want to bring the cameras
around.

Marion county Sheriff Ken Ergle even made Samantha an honorary
member of the emergency rescue squad at a ceremony Friday.

Samantha started receiving all this attention last week when she
helped her 3-year old master, Blake Weaver, survive 20 hours in
the Ocala National Forest. 

"She's gotten extremely close to Blake since this happened,"
say's the boy's mother, Dawn Weaver. "Sam does not leave Blake
alone."

Samantha stayed by Blake's side as he wandered away from his
grandmother's house and into the woods about 1:30pm on Jan. 24th.
She nudged Blake beneath a bush and lay down on him to protect
the boy --- clothed only in shorts and a T-Shirt -- through
the freezing night.

And about 10:45 the next morning, she helped lead the boy to a
handful of the hundreds of law officers and volunteers who had
formed a search party.

Blake is feeling much better these days.  His cheeks no longer
sting from windburn. The scratches on his legs are healing, as
is the cut above his left eye.

Weaver took this opportunity to defend Rottweilers, a breed
that many say are too fierce to have around children.

"I love them. I think they're beautiful animals," Weaver said.
"I think Sam has kind of proved that."

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