A Los Angeles shelter is doing a first this year for its Hero Dog award by giving the top honor to a cat.
Tara, the seven-year-old cat from Bakersfield, first made headlines back in May 2014 in a video that went viral on YouTube. Roger Triantafilo was filming his son, Jeremy, who was riding his bike outside their house when a dog started attacking him. Tara saw the commotion and chased the dog away.
The boy suffered minor injuries and had to receive eight stitches, the family revealed in the video, but he was generally fine thanks to Tara's quick action.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (SPCALA) has named Tara its 33rd Hero Dog recipient for body-slamming Scrappy the dog, which turned out to be owned by the family who lived next door, according to CBS Los Angeles.
"We were so impressed by Tara's bravery and fast action that the selection committee decided that a cat this spectacular should be the National Hero Dog," said Madeline Bernstein, the president of the SPCALA.
Tara and her family were on hand to receive the award at the Stars Plaza in Staples Center on Friday. Along with her trophy, Tara also received a year's supply of cat food, according to a SPCALA press release.
The SPCALA prides itself in being the only organization in Los Angeles to give such an award. "The spcaLA National Hero Dog AwardTM continues to be a testament to how being kind to animals can be rewarding in so many ways," the press release stated.
