Animals really are amazing.

Sky News

A hero dog who lost his life trying to save a group of children from a Pit Bull attack has been awarded the top honour for pet bravery.

Brave Dog Died To Save Children George the Jack Russell was given a posthumous PDSA Gold Medal, the animal equivalent of the George Cross, at a special ceremony in his home town. He had been out for a walk with five local children, aged between three and 12 years old, when a pair of Pit Bull Terriers set upon them. The 14-year-old dog sustained significant injuries as he shielded the youngsters from the attack. He later died from his wounds.

Hundreds of people, including the children he saved, turned out to honour George at the presentation in Manaia, New Zealand.

Governor-General Anand Satyanand handed over the award to George's owner, widower Alan Gay, on behalf of British veterinary charity PDSA. The medal was hung around the neck of a statue of the brave dog, which has been erected in the town in his memory. "There's no doubt that George was a small dog with a lion's share of courage," said PDSA director general Jan McLoughlin. "Each account of his devotion to the five children on the day of the incident tells of a dog that was not afraid to face great fear in order to protect his friends. "The children will never forget George's sacrifice and PDSA is proud to honour this exceptionally brave dog."

The PDSA Gold Medal is the highest honour for outstanding animal bravery and exceptional dedication.

Wow! That's amazing!

We had to put out Pit Bull mix down because she started going after some kids in our neighborhood and with my daughter being around her all the time I was worried she'd turn on her (of course had she not tried to attack those kids we'd still have her like our other dogs)

Oh that's so sad :(

awww! bless that puppy's soul!
animals are amazing.

Go George!!

This brought tears to my eyes :(. Dogs are such amazing creatures..

Sweet story... who ever taught the pitbull terriers to be aggressive though needs to be attacked by a mob of pitbulls so they will understand the impact that teaching a dog to be aggressive really has on other people (and dogs in George's case).

Maybe I'm just pms'ing, but I started crying reading this. What a wonderful little friend that dear dog was!

oh gosh, that poor brave little dog. what a wonderful pet. i feel bad for the owners, but i know they must be proud of him!