Marine makes bucket list for dying dog who saved his life
If this story doesn't make you cry, you've probably not got a soul.
A US marine veteran has compiled a bucket list for his bomb-detection Labrador Cena, who later became his service dog, after a veterinarian told him the dog had just weeks left to live.
Jeff De Young and Cena formed an unbreakable bond after they were paired in 2009 based on their personalities and deployed to Afghanistan.
There, "Kid and Chicken", as they were nicknamed, were in charge of walking in front of patrol units in search of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
"He'd been trained to detect more than 300 different types of explosives and if he smelled something interesting on patrol he would lie down and notify me, and then I'd call in an explosives technician," De Young told the BBC.
After coming back from war, De Young started suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and separation anxiety from being away from Cena.
It would take them four years before being reunited again, as De Young agreed to adopt Cena. The dog quickly became his service dog, helping him with healing and support for PTSD.
Unfortunately, last week doctors diagnosed Cena with bone cancer, and it turns out he has just weeks to live.
De Young is now looking for a removable top Jeep Wrangler in the Muskegon Michigan area to borrow so the pair can enjoy their last ride together.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to cover the cost of the rent, along with the "awesome food that he can stuff his face into and gets to eat" and "a statue or a beautiful head stone that he deserves".
De Young also hopes for a hand salute as Cena makes his way into the vet's office on his last day and to secure a burial plot at the war dog memorials in Lyons, Michigan, according to Fox News.
De Young's last post says Cena will make his final journey on Wednesday at 4pm in Muskegon:
Along with a friend, the veteran is now making a vest for Cena's big day:
True friendship.
