14 DAY TRIAL // In a rather pompous ceremony held earlier this week, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles (SCPLA) offered its annual Hero Dog award to a cat by the name of Tara.
Yes, you read that correctly. A cat really did win a Hero Dog award and she most definitely deserved it.
Cats can be loyal companions too
Tara the cat rose to fame back in May 2014, when she was caught on film saving a 4-year-old boy named Jeremy - her owner - from a vicious dog that had attacked him with no warning and had sunk its teeth into his leg.
The footage, available below, shows the dog approaching the unsuspecting boy from behind a parked car, grabbing him by his left leg and starting to furiously shake him from side to side.
Tara was nearby when the attack occurred and did not hesitate to rush to her young owner's rescue. She fought and chased the dog away, and then returned by Jeremy's side. So, yes, she truly deserved being honored for bravery.
“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, SCPLA president.
Not to offend her, the SCPLA made sure to scratch out the word “dog” from the award they offered Tara and etch in “cat” instead, SkyNews reports. Otherwise, the feline would have surely declined the honor.
Tara is now one very spoiled cat
Following the attack, Jeremy Triantafilo, now 6 years old, needed nearly a dozen stitches. Still, his parents are convinced that, had it not been for Tara, the dog would have caused him more serious injuries.
The young boy now thinks of his pet feline as his hero, and his mom and dad could not be more grateful. Hence, the cat is spoiled by the entire feline and gets to enjoy the tastiest of treats.
“It's pretty amazing to see just a cat take on a dog and selflessly put herself out there,” the boy's father told the press in an interview shortly after the story of Tara's daring rescue of her owner went viral.
