Man who rescued Rottweiler victim says that he´s no hero

BRITISH tourist Jim Clark headed for home with his wife Elizabeth yesterday, three days after saving a little girl from the jaws of a Rottweiler in Alcudia. Tamara, six, was savaged by one of two Rottweilers at a house where she had gone with her brother, ten, to play with a friend of his of the same age. It was reported that the dogs knew the children. Mr Clark heard the child's screams and rushed to the rescue, but went quietly on his way when the ambulance arrived to ferry the victim to hospital.
When he was finally traced, it was revealed that in 1989, two Rottweilers savaged his sister's daughter to death. On that occasion, no one was able to do anything to save the girl's life. Asked about the rescue he said: “I'm not a hero and I'm not crazy. Everything happened extremely quickly. I heard the girl's screams and saw that the dog had her gripped in its mouth, shaking her about as though she was a rag doll. I managed to get over the stretch of ground that divided me from the house and first lifted two children to safety who were on the ground by the dog. I then drove the dog's head as strongly as I could against the iron grilling. The shock made the dog open its mouth, allowing the little girl to escape and run away of her own accord”, related Mr Clark. “The image of my niece came to mind. I hate dangerous dogs and they should be banned completely where children are free to move about. The worst thing is that if the dog owners are monied people, complaints and protest fall on deaf ears”, he complained. Mr Clark's wife Elizabeth professed to feeling faint with shock after she realised what her husband had achieved. At first, she hadn't seen the dogs but when the rescue was over, she realised what danger he had exposed himself to. The Scottish couple have five children themselves. Mr Clark has already had a good rap over the knuckles when they reminded him of what could have happened, even though they are essentially very proud of him. He is anxious to explain what happened to his sister who is currently on holiday in Italy. To some extent, the dramatic events of Alcudia were a second opportunity for him. “For my niece, no one could have done anything”, he recalls sadly. The couple, who were on holiday in Majorca for the first time, visited the little girl, Tamara, a couple of days ago in hospital where she is doing well. Now it is “as though we have another daughter, a new family with whom we can maintain contact”, they confirmed. “Tamara, fortunately, looked to us to be in very good shape. She's feeling better and appears none the worse for wear for her experience” related the Clarks following their hospital visit. They had given the little girl a soft toy as a sign of their affection. The Scottish couple, who travelled back yesterday to their homeland, insisted on “thanking the people of Alcudia for all the kindness to us because I'm no hero”.