Last Member Drive of 2025!

Your year-end tax-deductible gift powers our local newsroom. Help raise $1 million in essential funding for LAist by December 31.
$700,442 of $1,000,000 goal
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Watch This Hero Cat Save Her Young Human From A Vicious Dog

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

Security footage shows the heroic deeds of Tara, a cat who keeps watch over the Triantafilo family in Bakersfield.

Erika and Roger Triantafilo's young son was playing on his bike in their driveway yesterday afternoon. Out of nowhere, the neighbor's dog appeared behind the unsuspecting toddler. The dog bit the child's leg and yanked him off his bike and onto the concrete.

Things looked grim, but that's when Tara, the family cat, came to her human's rescue.
Unfazed by her diminutive size, Tara rushed in and lunged at the predatory canine. The startled dog let go of the boy and ran with Tara in heated pursuit. Once Tara had kicked the dog off the property, she returned to her family.

The video, uploaded by Roger Triantafilo, shows that the child did have to get stitches, but luckily, that cat took care of business before it could get worse! The dog is now under observation, ABC 15 reports.

Update: Tara has granted her first interview to a local news station. Her humans denied that she has a "lion complex" on the TODAY show.

Watch now:

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right