Samantha (Sam for short) was a German Shepherd owned by Dr. Robert Neville in the 2007 sci-fi film I Am Legend. She was the Neville family pet prior to the worldwide spread of the Krippin virus and was still only a puppy when the outbreak occurred. When Neville attempted to evacuate his family from Manhattan, his daughter Marley left Sam with him to protect him while he worked towards finding a cure.
For three years, Sam was the only company that Neville had and her presence helped to keep Neville sane as he worked on trying to cure the Krippin virus. She remained at her master's side constantly at home, except when he was working in the lab, and would always accompany Neville when he ventured outside to scavenge for supplies and equipment. While the virus could jump the species barrier, Sam was immune to the airborne strain, but was still at risk of being infected by the contact strain.
Death[]
After Neville got caught in a trap set by the Darkseekers, Sam remained with him, constantly barking until he regained consciousness. Neville freed himself from the trap, but by that point the sun had set and the Darkseekers emerged from hiding. The Darkseekers' alpha male set a pack of infected dogs on Neville who fled for his life. Sam came to her master's rescue, attacking one of the mutated dogs, but was badly mauled in the process.
Neville rushed home with Sam, knowing that she was infected. He injected the wounded dog with a compound he had been developing as a potential cure, hoping it would work on her. Sadly, the cure didn't have any effect and Sam began to succumb to infection while Neville cradled her in his arms. Neville noticed that Sam's fur was coming off and her eyes were bloodshot, and the dog began snapping at him. Tearfully, Neville held Sam tightly and snapped her neck, putting her out of her misery.