Sheer loyalty - that was how one dog saved the life of its owner buried in rubble after the quake.

For more than 90 hours, the canine stood guard over the spot where the 73-year-old woman was buried, Xinhua reported on Sunday.

A day earlier, about 60 soldiers had been digging for quake survivors in the village of Xiejiadianzi in Sichuan province when they heard that a victim had been rescued out of nearby debris.

Medical workers rushed up the mountain to see several soldiers carrying an elderly woman in a stretcher. She was not injured, but was weak and unable to speak.

As her health condition was being assessed, a villager told relief workers of another woman who was buried about 50 m away.

After going through debris for half an hour, soldiers came across a collapsed shed. A small dog sat in front of the damaged structure, getting agitated as rescuers approached.

As the animal barked, rescuers realized that the quake victim must be close by. One soldier shouted that if anyone was around, the person should knock on the wall. Thumping penetrated through the layers of rubble.

Mou Bangli, aged 73 and suffering from rheumatism, could not escape with the rest of the family when they ran from the quake. Her son and daughter-in-law were unable to extract her from the flattened shed and had to leave her there to find help.

The woman's loyal dog had been watching over her.

(China Daily May 21, 2008)