TORONTO - Donna Perreault never imagined when she rescued her Chow Chow, Jarod, from a shelter that the cuddly canine would one day return the favour - by saving his owner and a fellow pet from a bear attack.

The brave pooch from Genelle, B.C., was among a fearless foursome that included two other dogs and a cat recognized for heroic acts at the Purina Animal Hall of Fame ceremony Monday.

Perreault was at home on the phone with her son while then-six-year-old Jarod kept her company. Suddenly, Perreault heard her older Chow Chow, Meesha, unleash a guttural bark.

To her shock, Perreault saw a black bear charging at Meesha, and she rushed outside to protect the pooch. However, she failed to lock the door to secure Jarod inside.

It was a move that would end up saving both her and Meesha as Jarod followed his owner outside and lunged at the bear.

Perreault tried to help scare the bear off by throwing a bucket at it, only to have the animal turn on her and swat at her chest.

"Then Jarod just really lit into him and was biting, and the bear then turned on him and chased him around the garage," she recalled. "That gave me an opportunity to get my old girl in the house."

Jarod eventually came around the corner and was secured inside the house, escaping with a puncture wound on his back.

"I know that they're protective dogs, Chows are, they're very devoted to their owners as far as safety and everything, and I was totally amazed that he would be so fearless and take on a bear," Perreault said.

Perreault said Jarod's heroics make him a great symbol both for his breed and shelter dogs alike.

"It is an opportunity for him to represent the breed and let them know that Chows are amazing dogs, and rescue dogs especially can reconnect and rebond with a new owner," she said. "You just have to have some time and patience with them and they are awesome."

Another canine honouree has already made national headlines for a high-profile rescue.

Ace, a five-year-old Dutch-Shepherd from Hamilton, was recognized as service dog of the year for helping to find an Ancaster, Ont., woman who survived three days being buried in snow last December.

Ace and owner Ray Lau, a Hamilton police search and rescue team volunteer, were three hours into their search when the dog bolted away, running through deep snow for some 75 metres. He would eventually lead Lau to the missing woman.

"He in so many ways has taught me perseverance and passion, and for that I will be forever grateful," Lau said.

Rounding out the list of honourees were an Olds, Alta., pooch and a Toronto feline who helped draw their owners' attention to family members in distress.

Mary-Ann Lazurko woke up to find her Bijon Frise, Sophie, tossing about her bed. As she tried to soothe her, she thought she heard noises coming from her diabetic daughter's room, but ignored them.

But when Sophie began unusually pacing across the bed, the odd action helped rouse Lazurko and drew her to Belinda's room, where her daughter had slipped into a diabetic coma.

In another case, shorthair cat Nemo had her co-owner Angela Papadimitriou puzzled when he loudly meowed and nudged in an atypical manner early one morning.

When Angela rolled over to ask her husband Peter about the unusual behaviour, she discovered he wasn't breathing and had no pulse.

In both instances, the pets are credited with helping save lives.

The animals now join the ranks of more than 140 inductees whose accomplishments have been recognized by the Purina Animal Hall of Fame, including 117 dogs, 24 cats and a horse.