Cat Named ‘Dog of the Year’ for Saving Kid from Dog Attack

And the 'Dog of the Year' award goes to ... Tara the tabby. Wait, what? No, that's not a misprint. Yes, this year's 'hero dog' award was given to a cat.

You may recall the story from May of last year of a dog attack in Bakersfield, California. A 5-year-old was playing in his front yard and a neighbor's dog charged at him and basically tried to rip the kid's leg off. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the family cat came to the rescue, pouncing on the dog and chasing it away. Tara the tabby's actions were caught on security cameras, and a video of the whole thing went viral.

Well, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles was so impressed with what she did, they decided to break a 33 year old tradition last week and declare Tara winner of this year's "National Hero Dog Award."

True to cat form, Tara had no cares to give while accepting her ground-breaking award, displaying little interest, or enthusiasm. And probably not very pleased with having a kerchief wrapped around her neck.