Kyle Smith served four military tours with Bodza and adopted him in 2014 when the German Shepherd was retired from duty
ByJamie Bullen
13:38, 10 MAR 2017Updated16:43, 10 MAR 2017
News Video thumbnail, Air Force Sergeant cradles dead military dog draped in US flag after heartbreaking decision to put him down Click to play Air Force Sergeant and his adopted dog before he was put down
These tear-jerking pictures show the moment an Air Force dog handler cradled his dead cannine partner draped in the US flag.
Sergeant Kyle Smith, from North Carolina, bid an emotional farewell to four-legged companion Bodza after the German Shepherd was put down.
A picture showed Kyle's giving his partner a tender hug as the dead dog was draped in the US flag.
Thousands have shared the picture since it emerged on social media.
Kyle said the decision to put down Bodza was one of the hardest he has ever had to make. Kyle Smith cradled Bodza before the dog was put down (Photo: Kyle Smith) The pair served on four military tours together (Photo: Kyle Smith)
The pair served side-by-side on four military tours before the soldier adopted him when Bodza retired in 2014.
Kyle noticed the dog's health began to suffer last year when he had trouble jumping on the back of his truck.
As his symptoms worsened, Bodza was diagnosed him with degenerative myelopathy.
It led Kyle to make the heartbreaking decision to put him down to end his suffering. Kyle said it was the hardest decision he ever had to make (Photo: Kyle Smith)
He remained by Bodza's side as he took his final breaths.
Kyle told WSOC he said "I'm going to miss you" during the pair's last moments.
He said: "I hugged him and told him that I loved him a lot, 'I’m gonna miss you'. He was as much a part of the Air Force as me. I couldn't have done the mission I did without him there."
Kyle also revealed he bought Bodza a final treat from McDonald's before the emotional farewell.
He added: "He got a Big Mac. He didn’t leave a crumb."
Feel very sorry for Sgt Kyle. That is a hard thing to do. To see the photos, go to the source. I still am having difficulty in posting photos. Sorry
#1: redleghunter To: Stoner (#0)
Thank you for your service Bodza. We who served know how the K9 four legged troops protect and serve.
God Bless Sergeant Smith for his loving and kind stewardship of this loyal canine.
redleghunter posted on 2017-03-10 21:34:07 Reply Private Reply
#2: rlk To: Stoner (#0)
Some German Shepherds have a tendency to suffer from that. Mine was the most loyal and trusted friend I've had in my lifetime. When it comes upon them there is nothing that can be done. We even took her to a chicropractor hoping he could help. The problem with that breed of dogs is they don't live long enough and it's always a great personal loss when their time comes.
rlk posted on 2017-03-11 00:10:10 Reply Private Reply
#3: Stoner To: rlk (#2)
We had one that we rescued out of a shelter. He was truly a very sweet dog. He had episodes of seizures. Turned out that his previous owner had beaten him a lot, and damaged him. Couple different vets unable to help. He disappeared during a big snow. I never did find him. I assume either some farmer saw him, acting weird, and shot him, or coyotes got him, or he may have just laid down & died. We have a lot of forest around here. We probably should have put him down, but we just could not bring ourselves to do it. He would have a good stretch of being fine, but then he would have the spells. It seemed like changes in the weather would bring them on. He was such a sweet dog. He got along so well with the kids, and with our other dogs. He even got along well with the cats. I will always feel bad that we did not, & hope that he did not suffer. But, we at least gave him another year & a half of love and good life.
I had a lab that had a tumor that I had to put down. For me, that was really tuff. I have never had a bad animal. I still miss all that are gone now.
The only bad part of having the ones we have now, is knowing that God only loans them to us, for a short while. And as you said, it is a great personal loss when their time comes!
Stoner posted on 2017-03-11 10:36:58 Reply Private Reply