© Tammie Giordano Ashley - Facebook
Joshua was leading a patrol outside the village of Zombalay in the Helmand Valley of Afghanistan in 2012, when he was hit by an explosive device and died instantly. He was 23 years old. His dog, Sirius, survived.
An indestructible bond
Tammie said that in the military, handlers take this oath: "Where I go, my dog goes. Where my dog goes, I go.”
Before he died, Joshua said he intended to adopt Sirius one day and bring him home. To him, his dog was his best friend, his partner, his other half.
A few weeks after his son's death, Tammie decided to bring Sirius home. But Sirius was still young, so Joshua's family wanted the dog to continue serving in the army.
The return of a hero
In February 2016, after his second deployment, Sirius was allowed to return to Tammie and his family. For Tammie, welcoming Sirius home was very emotional as the dog was a part of her son.
The soldiers threw him a proper retirement party.
Unfortunately, a few years later, Sirius became ill and Tammie had to make the difficult decision to let him go and to put him out of his misery. Sirius passed away on 22 May 2021.
The story of Sirius and Joshua has been retold in the film Dog starring Channing Tatum, currently playing in cinemas in the US and UK.
Posted by Tammie Giordano Ashley on Tuesday, February 8, 2022
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