Dog mourns at casket of beloved owner

 Faithful till the end

Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson lay in a coffin, draped in an American flag, in front of a tearful audience mourning his death in Afghanistan. 

Soon an old friend appeared, and like a fellow soldier on a battlefield, his loyal dog refused to leave him behind. 

 

Tumilson’s Labrador retriever, Hawkeye, was photographed lying by Tumilson’s casket in a heart-wrenching image taken at the funeral service.  Hawkeye walked up to the casket at the beginning of the service and then dropped down with a heaving sigh as about 1,500 mourners witnessed a dog accompanying his master until the end.

Petty Officer 1st Class Jon T. Tumilson was killed along with other SEALs on Aug. 6 in Afghanistan.

Petty Officer 1st Class Jon T. Tumilson

The photo was snapped by Tumilson’s cousin, and posted on her Facebook page in memory of the San Diego resident. Tumilson, 35, was one of 30 American troops, including 22 Navy SEALs, who were killed when a Taliban insurgent shot down a Chinook helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade on Aug. 6.

            

His loyal pet companion will now be cared for by a close friend.

Return to Home page of TheLaughingPet-OurDailyBark