Twin sisters Sydney and Alexandria Cohen were stunned Friday morning when they learned they were being honored by an animal rights group at their Davie school.
"I was so surprised," said Alexandria Cohen. "I was shocked."
The David Posnack Jewish Day School students were picked from a group of young animal rights advocates from around the world for the "Animal Hero Kids" award, Animal Hero Kids founder Susan Hargreaves said.
The Cohen sisters thought they were attending an assembly about animal rights, which they were. The event took a turn when Hargreaves was joined by a costumed cow named Ronnie, who helped her present the sisters' plaque. Once it was presented, they soon found out they knew the cow very well.
"I didn't expect my grandmother to be in it," said Sydney Cohen.
Their grandmother, Linda Zeigler, said the outfit was very hot, but it was worth wearing to honor her granddaughters, who often raise money for animals and even foster abandoned pets.
The twins' mother, Jennifer Cohen, told NBC 6 South Florida her girls are an inspiration.
"I never envisioned that my daughters would be such a wonderful generation of new animal heroes," Cohen said.
The soon-to-be 11 year olds were picked from Animal Kid Hero nominees from around the world for the work for four-legged friends. They even had some advice.
"Always rescue a dog, and never go to the breeder, because there's already enough dogs and cats in the shelters, and we don't want them dying," explained Alexandria.
"Also, spay and neuter," added Sydney. "Because there's so many animals, dogs and cats, being killed every year."
