And the "Hero Dog" Award Goes To...

Every year, many SPCA departments around the country give out awards to honor brave humans and animals.  The Los Angeles SPCA is no exception to this.  Yesterday, they held their annual SPCA awards, which honor the most courageous acts of the year.  

One particular award the SPCA of Los Angeles gives out is their annual "Hero Dog" award.  This award typically goes to a canine who went above and beyond in the last year and did something truly heroic.  And this year, the "Hero Dog" award went to none other than... a cat.

That's right, you read correctly!  A 7-year-old tabby named Tara received the "Hero Dog" award from the SPCA this year.  

While Fresh Patch usually covers all things dogs, that award usually goes to dogs, as well!  So since the Los Angeles SPCA is switching things up, we are too!  (At least for today.)

You might remember Tara from a video that circulated heavily, security camera footage from last May that captured Tara in her act of true courage.  You can watch it here.

In Bakersfield, California, on May 13, 2014, 5-year-old Jeremy Triantfilo was riding his tricycle in his family's driveway.  Without warning, their neighbor's dog enters the driveway.  The dog ran up to Jeremy and grabbed his leg with his teeth, pulling him off of his tricycle.  However, in almost no time at all, there is a dark blaze that also comes out of nowhere.  This flying animal is Tara, who takes a running leap at the dog and tackles him.  The dog is so shocked that he runs off.  Additional cameras show Tara running after him to make sure he stays away.  Thankfully, Jeremy's mother was not far behind Tara and both cat and boy made it out okay, Jeremy needing only a few stitches for his leg.  

The feat is not only remarkable, but watching it unfold is that much more powerful.  The committee who chose the recipient of this year's "Hero Dog" award felt that Tara's bravery was so unbelievable that they simply had to make the most golden of exceptions.  

It's still unfortunate that the neighbor's dog showed aggression, and it's important to remember that this kind of aggression in dogs is very rare.  

Maybe this was all a plot by Tara in order to get revenge on all canines... we might never know.  Either way, as much as we here at Fresh Patch love dogs, cats can be pretty cool, too.