They say dogs are a man’s best friend, and the bond between Army veteran David Broido and his service dog proves just that. A California native and former member of the 82nd Airborne Division, Broido suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and relies on his Pit Bull, Bones, to help manage his symptoms. When Bones was diagnosed with an osteosarcoma that would require the amputation of his back leg, Briodo knew he would have to do whatever it took to save his canine companion.
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“[It’s] pretty much every dog owner’s worst nightmare,” Broido told Fox29 of his reaction when he heard the diagnosis. “I turned into a faucet of course and became a mess on the floor.”
For Broido and Bones, the relationship they share is far deeper than that of a typical dog and owner. Bones is trained to remind the veteran to take medication and calm anxiety, and Broido can’t imagine his life without the pup.
“He has been trained to do stuff like remind me to take medication at night time before I go to bed or occasionally wakes me up from less than pleasant dreams,” he explained. “He’s very good at that. Paws me in the face.”
Broido is currently unemployed and his financial situation made it impossible to afford the surgery Bones would need to remove the cancer, but two quick thinking friends set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the dog, and they found a veterinarian in Philadelphia who would be able to perform the procedure at a much lower cost.
The page has since surpassed its $6,000 goal, and Broido and Bones set out on a cross country road trip last week that included some fun pitstops along the way.
“In case the worst news was delivered when I got [to Philly], I wanted to make sure that we got some really cool adventures,” Broido said. “So we stopped some places. We saw some people. We had a great time.”
Bones successfully underwent his surgery on Tuesday and is said to be recovering nicely. Broido, meanwhile, is humbled by the support he and his dog have received.
“It’s very nice to see how many people have really, it’s like thousands at this point, have come together to make things happen for all of this,” he said.
H/T: Fox News
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