Veteran and loyal dog pass away within hours of each other

We all have heard several conversations about the way humans grief, but believe us when we say that the animals grief as well, for example dogs, who are known to be loyal creatures, grief a lot when their owners pass away.

Gunner, a sweet furry, seemed to know that his beloved owner was reaching the end and couldn’t live his life without him.

Daniel Hove, a Wisconsin firefighter started his career in the Air Force and then he kept sacrificing his life for other people in need in his Burnsville community.

“He was someone that his department really relied on to innovate, educate, train and keep up with the new firefighting technique,” said his daughter Heather Nicoletti per Kare 11 News.

But the job of this heroic firefighter was caught in the middle after he got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2011 and in 2012 he had to retire.

According to Heather his father endured a round of chemotherapy.

Retired Assistant Fire Chief Hove was surrounded by loved ones as he faced the biggest battle of his life for 8 long years.

But it was his beloved 11 year old beloved dog Labrador Gunner who never for a second didn’t leave his side.

The sweet furry wanted to be always near his owners, and started feeling unwell after his owner got diagnosed.

“When my dad would get agitated, the dog would be agitated, my dad was restless, the dog was restless,” Heather said. “My dad was unresponsive, the dog was unresponsive. So once we saw how the dog was doing–he wasn’t moving much anymore, not doing well– we knew, it was coming.”

One day Heather says she looked at their dog and knew something was wrong with him so rushed to the vet clinic where she used to work. The staff there put Gunner down and only half an hour after her dad passed away too.

“I had said I don’t know what’s going to be more traumatic for him: to try to take him away to end–to put him to sleep– to end his suffering, or if you let him live through dad dying. I think either way it’s going to kill him,”she added.

“We knew they were going to go together. We just didn’t know it was going to be hours apart.”

Once the Coronavirus crisis will end the family plans to keep a ceremony about their dad and his loyal friend.

Talk about a strong bond.