Heroes are not always Canines!

Every now and then I read a story about how a family dog saved every one from an intruder or burning home etc. Once I even read one about how a stray dog rescued a woman from her crashed vehicle, got her to the road, and stayed with her until help arrived. Kudos to the doggie heroes...BUT this story has a slightly different *tail* to it.

"Tia Dawn Jenkins, a 27 year old disabled woman who lives in Louisville Kentucky, has just such a story to relate with us about her hero cat named Samantha. We'll let Tia tell you the story in her own words.

Tia writes, "I suffer from depression and I have a medical condition that has left me with no side vision. This means I can only see the big "E" at the top of the eye chart. I also have seizures. They are complicated by the fact that if I were to be hit on my head, it would be fatal, because I have had four brains surgeries.

"I was living in a studio apartment when one of my neighbors brought me this black cat he had, named Samantha. He told me that if I did not take her he would feed her a pit bull dog. He was angry because Samantha had bitten him. I couldn't let him do such a cruel thing to the cat. So I agreed to take Samantha and find a new home for her.

"At tat time I was pending Social Security insurance, so I did not have any money to take care of the cat. My boyfriend, Jason, said that he would buy anything I needed, if I wanted her. I said I would have to think about that."

"I decided to keep Samantha for myself when I noticed that she brought me out of me depressed moods. She would make me laugh by playing fetch with me. I started to train her to bring items that I could not find due to my loss of sight and other disabilities. I trained her to alert me to people and dangers. Samantha also learned how to get help for me, if I went into seizures."

"Jason and I moved into a two bedroom apartment. It had a faulty stove that the landlord kept putting off fixing. On January 20, 2004, I was at the computer in the living room. Jason called home from work and said that he could hear a clicking sound."

"I went into the kitchen and checked for the noise, but nothing was on. I went back to the kitchen about 5 minutes later. That's when I heard Samantha, standing at the kitchen door, making the sickest sounding meow."

"With what little sight I have, I saw a reflection of flames on the kitchen wall. A fire on the stove had caused the George Forman Grill to burst into flames."

"I reached down the side of the wall and hit the fire with the fire extinguisher. At that point I could not see anything. I didn't know that smoke was going up the stove hood. And now it was filling the apartment fast."

"I dialed 911 and told them I had a fire. I was confused about how to get out. All I knew was that I wouldn't leave without Samantha or Shelly (my turtle and Samantha's friend). Then I heard Samantha over against the other wall. I managed to get to the pet taxi by following the sound Samantha was making. But she was not there!"

"Then I heard Samantha clawing at the aquarium's glass. This is where her friend, Shelly, lived. Again, following the sounds Samantha made, I crawled over, lifting the top off the aquarium, and put Shelly in my purse. "

"Now that I knew about the fire, her turtle friend was safe, and I had called for help, Samantha opened the door to her pet taxi. She got inside, ready for me to rush her, Shelly, and myself out of there."

"Just as the fire department arrived, I locked Samantha into the pet taxi, grabbed my purse with Shelly in it, and ran from the apartment."

"Later, the firefighters told me that by the time the smoke detector sounded, the whole kitchen would have gone up in flames. If it had not been for Samantha's warning and bravery, none of us would be here today."

"Ever since Samantha saved my life, I have tried to get my state to recognize her as a service animal. On August 2, 2004 The Epilepsy Foundation of Kentucky paid and sent for Service Animal Registry of America( SARA) and Therapeutic Animal certification for Samantha. this means no one can ever take my angel kitty from me. Samantha will have the protection under the law that she deserves."

"There is not a day that goes by that Samantha is not helping me with my disabilities. Shelly and I both love and are ever grateful to this little angel kitty."

Story written by Allen and Linda Anderson as told to them by Tia Dawn Jenkins.