The State : Dog’s Warmth Protects Boy

A 3-year-old Susanville boy survived a snowy night inside a hollow log in the northern Sierra Nevada, kept warm by his Springer spaniel. Justin Pasero did not even catch a cold, his mother, Judy, said, adding “he bounced right back. It’s like nothing ever happened.” Justin spent the night sleeping in a cedar log while more than 100 searchers combed the mountains. With his dog, Sheena, the boy--wearing only coveralls and a long-sleeved shirt--had wandered 3 miles and was missing 14 hours. “He found a log before it got dark, crawled into that and fell asleep,” his mother said. Steve Pasero, the boy’s father, said Sheena curled up against Justin, protecting the boy from winds and snow flurries as the temperature fell to the low 30s. Rescuers found Justin in the morning, just as he crawled out of the log. “He said, ‘Hi, Dad,’ just like nothing happened,” Pasero said.