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THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE (RIVERSIDE, CA.)
01/25/99
By Bob Pratte, The Press-Enterprise
Page B1
EXCERPT
COMMENTARY
Two dogs named Xena and Scully protected a 5 year-old in peril in Riverside County!PRIMARY SOURCE
The San Jacinto Valley has two new celebrities - Scully, a 4-month-old German shepherd mix, and, a big Great Dane who turns 2 in February. The dogs accompanied 5-year-old Skyler Westall of San Jacinto after she wandered away from a home in the hills above Valle Vista late Monday afternoon. Scully and Xena stayed with her until she was found the next morning. "We're very happy with our little wonder dog, Xena," said Andrea Sweet. Young Skyler and, her mother, Gibrana Westall, spent the weekend at the Sweets' residence while the family was away on a ski vacation. When the Sweets returned Monday evening, they found law enforcement personnel and search and rescue volunteers looking for Skyler, who had wandered off with the dogs at 4 p.m. Sweet said she was optimistic about the little girl's return because she was with the dogs. "Xena has never spent a night away from the house," Sweet said. "When we found out she was with Xena, we felt better. " Searchers found Skyler the next morning walking with the dogs. She told her aunt, Taylor Westall, that Scully, the puppy, snuggled with her and kept her warm. She said Xena patrolled the area where she slept and brought her a bird, which she declined to eat. After she was found, her aunt told her she could dine anywhere she'd like. She chose Carl's Jr. Scully, who is part of the Westall family, was treated to a Carl's Jr. meal too. People have given the little girl a Bible and a whistle she can blow if she ever needs help. They gave Scully a bag of dog bones. Sweet said their thermometer dipped to 32 degrees that night. "The little girl just had a sun dress," she said. "Without the dogs, the little girl would have been in a lot worse shape. " Scully has received extra attention at home. Skyler entertained her kindergarten classmates at Hyatt Elementary School in San Jacinto with an account of her night in the hills. She was found before class began Tuesday, which spared the students an anxious day. "Inside Edition" visited the Sweets' home to do a story about the dogs. An animal show has expressed interest in featuring Scully and Xena. "We keep telling her she's a movie star," Sweet said of Xena. [snip]
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