TORONTO - The family dog that stayed by an autistic Cape Breton boy lost for two days in frigid conditions and helped searchers locate him had his hero status cemented Monday as an inductee into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame.

Chance joined two other dogs and a cat among the four-legged heroes being honoured at an emotional ceremony attended by the family of the late James Delorey.

Several audience members dabbed away tears as a short video retrospective recounted the story the seven-year-old's disappearance and death which captured the attention of Canadians late last year.

James followed Chance into a wooded area near his home in South Bar, N.S., outside Sydney, early last December.

The mixed-breed dog returned two days after James disappeared. Searchers were able to trace Chance's paw prints in the snow to near where the unconscious boy was found.

Despite surviving for two days in the frozen wilderness and without winter clothes, James died later in hospital of hypothermia.

The story clearly struck a chord and reverberations were felt with this year's nominations. While the Hall of Fame typically fields one to three nominations for potential honourees, Chance shattered the record with more than 400.

James's mother, Veronica Fraser, who attended the ceremony with her nine-year-old son, Jesse, and her sister, Laura, was moved by the considerable outpouring of support to recognize the nine-year-old dog.

"It was so overwhelming, really good to see that so many people cared and so many people acknowledged what Chance has done for my son ... keeping him company and keeping him from being scared the last two days of his life," she said in an interview Monday.

Fraser said she sees the permanent monument to Chance as a way to commemorate his efforts as well as to help preserve memories of James. She said she sees Chance, a Dalmatian/fox terrier mix, as a living reminder of her late son.

"Every time I look into Chance's eyes I think of James because Chance was the last one to see him alive, his last adventure was with Chance," she said. "I think of James all the time anyway, he's always on my mind, but especially when I see Chance."

This year's inductees shared a similar story: coming to the aid of loved ones in need.

The lone feline inductee was Gepetto from Wetaskiwin, Alta. The cat's wailing cries were credited for helping to rouse Phyllis Sjogren from her sleep. Sjogren's headache from hours earlier had escalated to extreme pain, but she decided to check on her cat, and later called her husband, Martin, describing her strange symptoms. It was later discovered the family home had filled to 70 per cent carbon monoxide and Phyllis had been suffering from stage two carbon monoxide poisoning.

Bingo, a 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier from Shilo, Man., was honoured as service dog of the year.

The hearing dog was brought to the home of Mandi and Dwayne Hein to help the couple care for their son, Cole. The eight-year-old suffers from a life-threatening and undiagnosed condition which causes him to retch and stop breathing with little to no warning, requiring round-the-clock supervision.

Bingo was trained to bark whenever she heard Cole retch and she has been credited with saving the child's life at least three times in the first six months.

Patty, a border collie mix from Westlock, Alta., helped saved the life of Kai Jensen, who was crushed behind a seeder weighing more than 2,720 kilos while out planting the annual crop. Patty's frantic jumping and barking helped alert Jensen's son, Allan, who called 911.

"We believe that Patty's a hero for saving our dad's life so we're thankful that Purina believes that Patty's a hero as well," said Jensen's daughter, Karen.

More than 140 animals have been inducted into the Animal Hall of Fame since its creation in 1968, which recognizes life-saving feats of pets and service animals.