The Adorable Animal Awards

In the early 20th Century a Japanese professor adopted an Akita puppy and named him Hachiko. Every day, Hachiko would meet the professor at Shibuya train station when he came home from work. One day, the professor sadly suffered a brain hemorrhage and didn't return, but for the next 9 years, every day until he died, Hachiko showed up at the train station when the professor's train was due.

For its ability to make grown men bawl like babies, the story of 'faithful dog Hachiko' takes the grand prize for most loyal.

Did you Know?

A statue of Hachiko stands at Shibuya train station while his remains were (rather morbidly) stuffed and mounted for display in the National Science Museum of Japan.

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Beating off some serious competition, a little piggy from Yorkshire in the UK oinked into first place and was crowned 'Most Pathetically Cute' due to her penchant for wearing rubber boots. It's not just the total hilarity of seeing a piglet wearing galoshes; it's the fact that this little princess has turned her back on all things piglike by refusing to put her trotters in mud without protection from the dirt. Her parents must be so disappointed...

Did you Know?

Mysophobia, or the fear of dirt, has affected such well-known individuals as Howie Mandel, Howard Hughes, Cameron Diaz, Nicola Tesla and at least one piglet.

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The idea of an orangutan trying to copy spear-fishing locals with a stick is cute enough on its own. Where the evil genius comes into play is when the orangutan realized that a stick is not a very good spear-fishing tool, and instead began using it to steal fish from the local villagers. For sheer cheek and a complete lack of shame, this criminal mastermind wins 'Most Nefarious'

Did you Know?

Orangutans have also been known to steal boats, yet again demonstrating a complete lack of respect for private property.

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Once upon a time a boy penguin named Roy fell in love with another boy penguin named Silo. They tried to hatch a rock in their enclosure at New York's Central park zoo, but were obviously unsuccessful. Perhaps in an attempt to bolster their relationship, or maybe to satisfy scientific curiosity, or even just for some giggles, the zookeepers gave them an egg to hatch and the baby penguin Tango joined their family. A popular children's book was written about the penguin-family, but then Silo ruined everything by running off with a lady-penguin.

Did you Know?

Between 2006 and 2010 And Tango Makes Three was the library book most frequently objected to in the US.

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Runner Up: First runner up is a Romeo and Juliet tale of star-crossed lovers. Defying all convention and the natural order of the world, a Swedish duck and a chicken fell in love and raised a family together. Sadly, they didn't manage to make any 'chucks', despite their best efforts, and instead adopted some chicken eggs.

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And the winner is: Despite the stiff competition, the tale of a baby hippo and a giant tortoise walked away with the grand prize for 'Interspecies Love'. The hippo, an orphaned survivor of the 2004 tsunami decided that a 130 year-old giant tortoise was the perfect candidate for his new mommy.

Did you Know?

Dogs will often adopt baby animals of other species including kittens and tigers.

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A dog thrown from a car-wreck spent 13 days waiting at the spot she had last seen her family, drinking water from dirty dishes and painstakingly gathering up the scattered possessions of her owners. A rescue worker went above and beyond the call of duty to track down the owners of a car that had crashed near where she found Ella, to discover that the whole family had survived and had believed that Ella had been killed.

Did you Know?

Lost dogs have been identified by microchips despite being thousands of miles away from their families and, in some cases, missing for years.

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Guide dogs for the blind are a familiar sight, but the story of a guide dog that looks after both his owner and the previous guide dog of the household has to tug at the heart-strings. When Graham Waspe's guide dog Edward needed both his eyes removed Opal joined the family to help both of them get around.

Anyone who makes a $6,000 donation to the Guide Dog Foundation can name one of the puppies. It may be pricy but it doesn't put much of a dent in the $25,000 costs of training each dog.

Did you Know?

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Runner Up: First runner up in this category goes to Jarod, a black Chow-chow. Jarod was clearly so emboldened by his own bear-like appearance that he thought nothing of leaping in to defend his owner from an actual black bear.

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And the winner is: Animal heroism is normally linked with dogs, but first prize has to go to a blind cat named Aggie. Despite being unable to see, Aggie knew that the man climbing in the window of her family home was an unwelcome intruder and jumped, claw-out right onto his face. The family, awakened by the intruder's screams, found only blood on her claws, a shoe on the windowsill, and a very smug cat.

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Did you Know?

Many countries reward animal heroes with official recognition and awards ceremonies.