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Cat who saved boy wins hero dog award

Purr-fect: Tara The Cat Wins Hero Dog Award

The first cat to receive a dog award is definitely a hero.

Remember Tara? She was the cat who saved young Jeremy Triantafilo from a dog attack last year. She’s now been recognized for her heroic action.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) presented its 33rd Annual National Hero Dog Award to Tara the cat last Friday. On their website, the organization describes the Hero Dog Award as a testament of how being kind to your animals can be rewarding.


Breaking from its tradition, the organization was moved by Tara’s selfless actions.

“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 spcaLA president Madeline Bernstein in a press release.

It’s been a little over a year since the brave tabby cat was captured on video rescuing her owner. In May 2014, the video titled “My Cat Saved My Son” went viral, showing Tara fighting off a dog that attacked Triantafilo. The family’s home security camera captured the whole incident.

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The boy is seen riding a bike near his home in Bakersfield, California. In just a few seconds, a dog from next door notices Triantafilo and comes running around the car towards him. He clamps his teeth on the boy’s leg and pulls him down to the ground while violently shaking him. Out of nowhere, Tara comes to the rescue. She body checks the dog and chases him down the driveway, away from her owner.

Triantafilo’s father uploaded the video on YouTube and Tara instantly became a hero for her actions. The video received over one million views.

Even the trophy had a little modification for this special winner. On the award, the word ‘dog’ was scratched out and replaced by ‘cat,’ just for Tara the hero.

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