Rest easy, dear Cena [View all]

[Tanuki]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/animalia/wp/2017/07/28/goodbye-my-brother-a-marines-loving-sendoff-for-the-cancer-stricken-dog-who-saved-him/

.... "As friends and fellow patriots saluted, Jeff DeYoung carried his best friend Cena, a hardened Marine combat veteran like his owner, past the crowd of well-wishers as they boarded a decommissioned Navy ship in Muskegon, Mich. It was there on Wednesday where the black lab, lame with bone cancer, was euthanized.

He was 10.

This raw, emotional moment captures the indelible bond that forms between American troops and the animals who accompany them into battle.
Trained to detect roadside bombs and other improvised explosives, war dogs have become vital to the military’s mission overseas, performing lifesaving duties under gravely dangerous conditions, and leaving lifelong impressions on the men and women with whom they serve.

DeYoung declined to comment, telling the The Washington Post on Thursday he needed time to grieve. In a Facebook postreflecting on their final night together, he called Cena “my brother” and said the dog “blessed my life with love and admiration, happiness and strength.”

"I want to run away and not face what I must do,” he wrote. “But he needs me to be strong and set him free. … Because of him I got to have a family. Because of him I was able to live. May God forgive me for what I do tomorrow. And may the Lord greet you with open arms and a nice ear scratch.”.....(more)

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