Posted on 12/29/2012 9:20:58 AM PST by BenLurkin
PASADENA (CBSLA.com) Military dogs that have served alongside soldiers on the battlefield are getting a special tribute at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on New Years Day.
The four-legged heroes will be honored through a festive, floral float titled Canines with Courage, which showcases the exact replica of the United States Military Working Dog Teams National Monument in Texas.
Its just amazing to see that theyre actually going to have a monument to recognize their service and everything theyve done and all the lives that theyve saved, said Gunnery Sgt. Chris Willingham of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Lucca, a German Shepherd mix, will be one of the stars of the float, sponsored by Natural Balance Pet Foods.
She served in the Marine Corps for six years, which included two deployments to Iraq and one deployment to Afghanistan. Shes trained to search all fleets looking for explosives. She led over 400 patrols, which resulted in zero injuries, said Willingham.
However, the now-retired specialized search dogtrained to work off a leash to sniff out explosiveslost a leg during one of her missions after setting off an improvised explosive device.
Lucca was rescued, taken to rehab at Camp Pendleton, and eventually adopted by Willingham.
He said Lucca still has her spunky spirit and brave character despite her life-altering injury.
Shes a very special dog. Shes saved a lot of lives, said Willingham.
Whoooo’s a goooood boy?
Ping this one to the dog PING List guy. :)=^..^=
Woof...good dog.
Woof...good dog.
I love this story.
Great story for the doggie ping list!
Ping
This is a low-volume list so dont worry!
(Please Freep-mail me if youd like to be on or off the list.)
What a wonderful story! Thank you!
Hey Joe,
Have you seen any photos of the doggie heroes float?
I’m stuck up here in Canada and couldn’t watch the parade.
Thanks Joe...good stuff
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