Labby Memorial Funeral Home

It’s a chance for us to honor the four-legged heroes that help serve our armed forces and keep our troops safe. K9 handlers in the military can tell you how dedicated these dogs are to doing their jobs and protecting the members of their teams. They should be honored alongside our human troops, and K9 Veterans Day is an opportunity for us all to remember and reflect on the invaluable contributions these dogs make. Here are five of the countless dogs that deserve to be celebrated for their service on K9 Veterans Day.1. Cena" alt="">Cena the black Labrador Retriever formed a special bond with his brother in arms, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jeffrey DeYoung. They served together on a seven-month tour of duty in Afghanistan back in 2009, where Cena kept troops safe as a bomb-sniffing dog looking for IEDs. Other soldiers that worked with Cena described him as more like a kid or a brother than just a dog, but it was DeYoung’s connection with the pup that led him to adopt Cena in 2014 after Cena had gone through a year of rehabilitation therapy. Their work together wasn’t done, however, as the two traveled across the country and even to the U.S. Congress to discuss the importance of bringing war dogs home to retire and live out the peaceful, happy lives they so deserve. Cena passed away from bone cancer in 2017 and was laid to rest at the Michigan War Dog Memorial, where he was honored with a military color guard, bagpipers, and a howling salute from six German Shepherds who are part of the K9 Salute Team. Around 600 people attended the funeral.2. Isky" alt="">Staff Sgt. Isky Brown completed over 300 missions with his human partner, Sgt. Wess Brown. They traveled the world as a bomb detection team, providing service to military generals, the Secretary of Defense, and even President Obama, but in 2014, one of their missions quickly became even more dangerous. They were deployed to a small province in Afghanistan, and after finishing their bomb search, they suddenly found themselves being fired on. With bullets  flying around them, the two bolted ... (DogTime)