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.
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.
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."
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