Super Sam saves the day

GIVE A DOG A BONE. Super Sam gets his just reward for saving Rhonda Watson from an angry bull.

WITH 600 kilograms of angry bull stomping all over her unconscious body, Rhonda Watson had one thing going for her to survive, her trusty dog Sam.

Rhonda told her tale of survival as her labrador/border collie cross, Sam, received an RSPCA Queensland Animal Achievement Award, only the fourth animal in the past nine years to receive such an award.

Sam's amazing feat of bravery came on November 29 last year, when Rhonda was walking the cattle into the yards near her house at Glamorgan Vale and noticed a bull which wasn't keeping pace and needed a little coaxing along.

The next thing Rhonda knew, as she regained consciousness, was finding herself lying face down and unable to move.

The bull was trying to gore her and stomped all over her before Sam attracted the bull's attention.

"The bull started rolling Sam all over the paddock and I yelled for my husband who had gone back to the house," Rhonda said.

Sam succeeded in keeping the bull off Rhonda until her husband arrived and then the bull turned on him, eventually chasing him into the dam before he could drag Rhonda from the paddock.

"If Sam hadn't have got him (the bull) off me, he would have killed me," she said.

A bloodied and bruised Rhonda was rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with a smashed tibia, in which she still has countless screws and plates inserted, and the start of a long convalescence.

And what became of the angry bull, you may well ask?

"When my husband returned home from the hospital around 2am, the bull was dead in the paddock," Rhonda said.

Michael Beattie from the RSPCA said the bull was more than likely suffering from tick fever which may have explained the aggressive behaviour.

Mr Beattie awarded Sam with the main prize for his heroic deed, a juicy bone.

Nine-year-old Sam is assured a comfortable place for the rest of his days and will always be a constant companion for Rhonda.