A loyal soldier, and a loyal friend

[FasstChevys]

Loyal dog refuses to leave fallen Navy SEAL's side during funeral - NYPOST.com



God bless America, and God bless our troops!!

[wileyCoyote]

[DEZI425]

Honestly kind of made me tear up a bit.

[SMWS6TA]

This story has bug the hell out of me for the last week. I really feel for the dog. It will never be the same and will most likely not be able to serve again. I wonder if the family will be able to adopt the dog. Probably not because of the investment in training that went into him. But I seriously can't see how the dog would be able to bond with another handler again. From what I've seen and been told by handlers in law enforcement and military dogs they become partners for life. It takes a few yrs of training, usually starting at 4-6 months with the same handler. As the dog progresses the bonding get's more intense.

[35th-ANV-SS]

Honestly kind of made me tear up a bit.

Same here

[KahanaReef]

Honestly kind of made me tear up a bit.

Did the same to me Dogs throughout history have proven their loyalty in the same way. It's heart wrenching.

[SMWS6TA]

Did the same to me Dogs throughout history have proven their loyalty in the same way. It's heart wrenching.

Not to change the subject but...this is why I love dogs and hate cats. You will never see a cat morn like this.

[KahanaReef]

Not to change the subject but...this is why I love dogs and hate cats. You will never see a cat morn like this.

I don't hate any animals. And while cats have their own brand of loyalty, I've had several that show that loyalty. I think it's how you raise them that brings it out

I do find it interesting though how throughout history, there are documented cases of dogs never wanting to leave the grave of a beloved master that has passed. That is true devotion

[SMWS6TA]

ok instead of using "hate" substitute it for strongly dislike.

[FasstChevys]

Honestly kind of made me tear up a bit.

and that's the reason I posted it, since it did the same to me........ it's a very powerful story

[krese]

Not to change the subject but...this is why I love dogs and hate cats. You will never see a cat morn like this.

this is not true..... there are times when i play rough with my dog that my 8 year old cat attacks the dog to protect me... we are talking about a 15lb cat going after a 60lb pitbull...

this cat follows me around everywhere like my shadow and has since he was a kitten. i HATED cats till this one, he is a great friend.

cats are loyal, they just usually have their own way of showing it.

[SMWS6TA]

cats are loyal, they just usually have their own way of showing it.

Showing it by lifting their tail and showing their chocolate starfish 4" from your face. Yeah that's love....

[Zapper2003]

[FasstChevys]

Showing it by lifting their tail and showing their chocolate starfish 4" from your face. Yeah that's love....

Yes!

[Zapper2003]

In my cat's defense though, he has no tail. I've thought about sharpie-markering it black to match his hair, but I don't know how toxic that would be

[NE-Firebird]

This story has bug the hell out of me for the last week. I really feel for the dog. It will never be the same and will most likely not be able to serve again. I wonder if the family will be able to adopt the dog. Probably not because of the investment in training that went into him. But I seriously can't see how the dog would be able to bond with another handler again. From what I've seen and been told by handlers in law enforcement and military dogs they become partners for life. It takes a few yrs of training, usually starting at 4-6 months with the same handler. As the dog progresses the bonding get's more intense.

I don't know the exact circumstances of that case.

But, THANKFULLY, this is NOT 1975 and the end of the Vietnam war where our ******ed up Government THREW THE THOUSANDS OF LIFE SAVING SERVICE DOGS INTO THE WOODS TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES! WTF???

As I understand it, in cases like the one above, the family will be given the option to adopt the dog. It's out of respect for the serviceman that gave his life for his country, the family, and the dog. However, not all families are able to adopt a dog. There's the question of where they live, if they have the ability to care for it (maybe both parents have to travel a lot for work), and of course - the cost of a dog ($~5K -> $30K++ over it's life).

Considering that the dog was at the funeral, it seems that the family (or family members/friends) have adopted the dog.

[SteveCZ28]

rockford iowa is about 15 minutes away from me....to clear some things up here. Hawkeye his dog, is his pet, that was left with his aunt and uncle while he was out serving in Afghanistan. Jon's aunt and uncle are obviously permanently adopting Hawkeye.

[SteveCZ28]

Not to change the subject but...this is why I love dogs and hate cats. You will never see a cat morn like this.

kinda off topic of the thread title, but to reply to this, i have seen cats mourn like this... actually 2 cats that my mom had mourned the loss of each other, 1 of the cats died early this spring, and after i burried the cat, the other one that was still alive sat on his grave and didnt leave for 3 days, as she was protecting him, as she did when he was alive. she kicked the crap out of many raccoons for him. and never thought twice

[SMWS6TA]

rockford iowa is about 15 minutes away from me....to clear some things up here. Hawkeye his dog, is his pet, that was left with his aunt and uncle while he was out serving in Afghanistan. Jon's aunt and uncle are obviously permanently adopting Hawkeye.

Good to hear.