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Trail dog honoured at Purina Animal Hall of Fame ceremony

Vicious saved her owner from a cougar attack in Sunningdale last August
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Trail's Angie Prime and her border collie/lab Vicious were honoured at the Purina Animal Hall of Fame ceremony in Toronto on Monday. Vicious saved Prime from a cougar attack last August in Sunningdale.

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and at Monday morning's 2013 Purina Animal Hall of Fame ceremony the four-legged were honoured including one from Trail.

Angie Prime and her dog Vicious were in Toronto for the ceremony on Monday after Vicious came to her rescue when a cougar invaded their Sunningdale home last August.

That day, Prime was relaxing in her living room with Vicious, her twelve-year-old Border Collie/Labrador cross, and her two puppies. Like she had done in the past, Prime had her lights turned off so as not to attract insects, and left the sliding door open to the backyard so her pets could go in and out.

Suddenly, she sensed another presence in the room. She turned and found herself face-to-face with a cougar. Realizing she had nowhere to go, Prime put her arms up to shield her face and screamed as the cougar pounced on her.

"You are not thinking to run at that moment when you see a cat," Prime told the Trail Times shortly after the attack.

From across the room, Vicious sprang into action, launching herself at the cougar. The cat disengaged and headed towards the open door. Vicious followed protectively, chasing the cougar out towards the green belt at the back of the property.

Not long after, Vicious came back fortunately unharmed. Conservation officers arrived at the scene and they agreed that Prime was extremely lucky to be alive.

If it wasn’t for Vicious’ quick action and dedication, Prime would have met a very different fate.

"It's a chance in a million that (a cat attack) would ever happen in a home," she said last August. "But if it wasn't for (Vicious) I would have been mauled."

Vicious was one of four dogs honoured at Monday's rceremony including another B.C. canine, Teak, who was named the Service Dog of the Year for the German Shepherd's work in apprehening a Vancouver robbery suspect despite receiving knife wounds during the arrest. Teak underwent two surgeries and, with the wounds healed, is enjoying retirement.

“Now in its 45th year, the Purina Animal Hall of Fame annually shares amazing life-saving stories and incredible acts of courage shown by pets and service animals across the country,” said Mary Siemiesz, executive director of the Purina PetCare Legacy in a press release. “The tenacity of our 2013 inductees to rescue and protect people from harm – whether it’s a wild animal, house fire, criminal or a medical emergency – showcases the connection animals have to humans and the physical risks they will take to keep them safe.”

Vicious is the fourth Greater Trail animal to gain induction into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame.

In 2005, Ty, an eight-year-old Siamese cat was honoured for saving his Trail owner's life after she collapsed with heart failure.

In 2007, golden retriever Jango was hailed for alerting her Trail family to a house fire.

In 2009, Jarod, a chow chow, saved its owner and a fellow pet from a bear attack