Update: The owner comes forward and reveals Grace's real name. See next page.

That was fast! Last week in La Puente, Grace the labrador became an Internet sensation by standing vigil over her car-struck, dead, canine comrade on Hacienda Boulevard. A local resident, worried that Grace would get hit as well, placed traffic cones around Grace because she would not budge from her heartsick vigil.

That Good Samaritan has now adopted Grace, beating hundreds of others who would do anything to own a dog with such fierce loyalty, heart and courage. As one commenter said this morning on KNX, we all want to “be like Grace.”

According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, this is the tragic scene that unfolded last Wednesday:

“Grace,” as she's being called by officials from the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control, was … laying in the street next to another dog, which was motionless and had suffered obvious head trauma.”

The loyal black Labrador refused to leave the side of her companion, though the other dog had died, DACC spokesman Aaron Reyes said … Animal control officials responded to the scene and took the frightened but unharmed dog to a shelter.

This amazing dog had no tag or microchip implant. Now, this is a terrible thing. Somebody somewhere owned the dog of all dogs — shelter operators where she was housed temporarily called her a “well-adjusted little girl” — but her unknown owners never bothered to get her a tag with her home address or phone number on it.

What dog owner would be so foolish?

Here's the incredible video of Grace, California's hands-down Dog with Great Heart for 2012:

According to City News Service, the unnamed man who helped protect Grace from the traffic on the busy street as she stood guard has become her new owner.

That's a wonderful end to this tale — unless the real owners, who must not listen to the radio, go on the Internet, or read newspapers — suddenly realize that Grace is in the news.

By the way, nobody knows her real name. “Grace” was chosen by the animal control people who rescued Grace from the street and took away her fallen friend.

City News reports:

The black Labrador – named Grace by workers at the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center – will be spayed and then released to the man who saw her standing guard on a busy La Puente street last week, said Evelina Villa of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control.

Best of luck to you, Grace the Hero Dog of La Puente.

Update:

This afternoon, animal control authorities announced that an unnamed owner had stepped forward with sufficient documentation to prove ownership of Grace.

The adoption was halted and the dog is being returned to her home. The new surprise is her name, which still seems appropriate to the occasion, like a good name for a strong mother or a true friend:

Not Grace at all. Maggie the Hero Dog.

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