Dog in hero cat video euthanized (with video)

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

photo Tara the cat was relaxes after attempting to throw out the first pitch of the Bakersfield Blaze baseball game game at Sam Lynn Ballpark on May 20, 2014, in Bakersfield, Calif. Tara was captured on security camera when she pounced on a dog that attacked 4-year-old Jeremy Triantafilo. (AP Photo/The Bakersfield Californian, Nick Ellis)

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - A dog seen on security camera footage attacking a Central California boy until it is chased off by a cat has been euthanized.

Bakersfield Animal Care Center Director Julie Johnson says the dog's owner signed it over to be euthanized. She tells the Bakersfield Californian it was put down over the weekend.

Video of the attack has gone viral and turned the cat named Tara into a sensation.

It shows the dog - a roughly 8-month-old Labrador-Chow mix - biting and attempting to drag 4-year-old Jeremy Triantafilo. Within seconds, Tara leaps out and chases the canine away.

Jeremy needed 10 stitches on his left leg.

Tara, meanwhile, received the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a minor league baseball game.