Died 1\/24\/18
\nHandler – Staff Sgt. Jason Spangenberg<\/p>\n
Tearful squadron shows up to salute last moments of dying hero dog<\/p>\n
Rico, a beloved and decorated veteran of the War in Afghanistan, had been partially paralyzed by what is effectively a canine version of ALS. As Rico the dog was carried toward his final vet appointment, he encountered a gauntlet of saluting service members lining the clinic\u2019s front walkway for a solemn goodbye. The 11-year-old bomb-sniffing German shepherd was a veteran of the War in Afghanistan and a holder of the Bronze Star. Over a career that spanned 160 combat missions, Rico is credited with discovering more than 90 kg of homemade explosives. Now, weakened by a spinal cord disease, Rico was carried by his former handler toward a euthanization appointment as an Air Force bugler played Taps, the U.S. equivalent of the Last Post. \u201cSecurity forces members struggled to keep their bearing,\u201d read a statement from Dover Air Force Base. Although one of many dogs who served with the 436th Security Forces Squadron, Rico was a particular favorite of the unit. The dog\u2019s image has already been immortalized in a war dog memorial in Dover, Delaware, and Rico\u2019s 2016 retirement was honored with an official ceremony. It was at that ceremony that former handler Jason Spangenberg, who shared a twin bed with Rico in Afghanistan, credited the dog with saving his life. \u201cI can honestly say if it wasn\u2019t for my dude here next to me in Afghanistan, I wouldn\u2019t be standing here in front of all of you today,\u201d said the now-retired Staff Sergeant. Spangenberg, who was wounded by an IED while in Afghanistan, adopted the retired Rico as a family pet during the animal\u2019s last two years. Known officially as MWD (Military Working Dog) Rico, the dog first began work with the U.S. Air Force in 2008. Trained as both a patrol dog and bomb sniffing dog, Rico served on multiple overseas deployments and even several Secret Service operations. The sheer volume of explosives uncovered by Rico and Spangenberg was what earned the pair the Bronze Star, the fourth-highest U.S. decoration for valor. \u201cI know Rico is in a better place and is running around again finding bombs and biting bad guys,\u201d one of his former handlers, Tech. Sgt. Matthew Salter, said at Rico\u2019s final goodbye ceremony. At the time of his death, Rico was partially paralyzed with canine degenerative myelopathy, a disease that is effectively a dog version of ALS. It begins with a numbing of the dog\u2019s back legs, and then gradually spreads until the animal is completely paralyzed. Spinal problems had forced Rico into early retirement in 2016, after an army veterinarian found that the dog was no longer able to run long distances without suffering severe pain. Rico was put down on Jan. 24, although this week he was recognized with a viral tweet by the U.S. Department of Defense\u2019s Twitter account. The memorial ceremony concluded with a \u201clast call\u201d over the radio. A tradition of police forces and firefighters, it involves issuing a final radio call to a fallen member. \u201cTo all cars, posts and patrols \u2026 Standby for last call \u2026 End of watch for MWD Rico,\u201d went the broadcast. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died 1\/24\/18 Handler – Staff Sgt. Jason Spangenberg Tearful squadron shows up to salute last moments of dying hero dog Rico, a beloved and decorated veteran of the War in Afghanistan, had been partially paralyzed by what is effectively a canine version of ALS. As Rico the dog was carried toward his final vet appointment, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4700,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,21],"tags":[104],"class_list":["post-4693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","category-military","tag-de"],"yoast_head":"\n