Vic: Dog saves family, may receive bravery award
By Darrin Barnett and Barbara Adam
MELBOURNE, April 5 AAP - Roxy the Staffordshire bull terrier is up for a national braveryaward after she saved a Melbourne family from a house fire overnight.
Roxy woke up her owner Mark Doyle after his family home in the Melbourne outer-easternsuburb of Upwey caught fire just after midnight.
Mr Doyle, who had fallen asleep on the couch while watching television, was woken byhis eight-year-old dog in time for him to save his baby daughter from the blaze.
"I woke up and the dog was giving me a bit of a rustle and I looked up and the roofwas on fire," he told ABC radio.
"She's a sensational dog, she's beautiful - she saved us and our baby.
"For an old dog, she's done alright."
RSPCA president Hugh Wirth said Roxy could now be considered for an RSPCA Animal Valour Award.
"That award is given to those animals that do something outside of their normal activitythat benefits humans," Dr Wirth said.
"If she is nominated and the events are verified, then I think you'll find we do somethingabout it," he said.
About half a dozen awards are given out each year and while most recipients were dogs,past winners included a donkey, a cow and a horse, Dr Wirth said.
No other nominations have so far been received this year.
"The award, which is a gong and a certificate, is sent to the local RSPCA and the stateor territory president presents it," he said.
Dr Wirth said Staffordshire bull terriers were well suited to the award because oftheir territorial nature and fierce loyalty to their owners.
A local radio station has launched an appeal to help the Doyle family after it wasrevealed they were uninsured for the blaze, which caused an estimated $200,000 damageto the house and destroyed a car.
A Country Fire Authority spokesman said it was believed the fire started in a chimneybefore spreading to a wall cavity.
AAP db/ba/gfr/jnb/sb
KEYWORD: ROXY NIGHTLEAD
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