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Pet rat saves owner from fire

TOLEDO, Ohio -- An ailing pet rat named Yentl was credited with saving her owner from a fire by licking the woman's face until she woke up.

'She saved my life,' Vicky Downey, 22, said Sunday. 'I'm buying her a steak dinner.'

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Ms. Downey said the tame black rat was sleeping with her when a short circuit in an electric blanket started a fire in the mattress Saturday morning.

Yentl was in the bed with her owner because she had a respiratory ailment and needed warmth, said Ms. Downey.

The animal licked the woman's face until she awakened. Ms. Downey said she grabbed Yentl, unplugged the blanket and called firefighters.

Ms. Downey was treated for smoke inhalation. Yentl was unharmed.

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