Dog of Fallen Navy SEAL, Officer Jon Tumilson, Refuses To Leave Casket (VIDEO)

The dog of fallen Navy SEAL Officer Jon Tumilson refused to leave his owner's casket at the officer's funeral earlier this week, Animal Planet reported.

Tumilson's cousin Lisa Pembleton captured the loyal pup, Hawkeye, resting alongside Tumilson's casket at the Rockford, Iowa ceremony.

KPBS reported that the former San Diego resident was killed in the Aug. 6th Chinook helicopter crash with 29 other American service members.

Pembleton contacted KPBS's Home Post publication with this statement:

"Hawkeye is/was his loyal "son". To say that he was an amazing man doesn't do him justice. The loss of Jon to his family, military family and friends is immeasurable. I hadn't planned on taking any pictures other than with family. However, from my seat at the funeral, I felt compelled to take one photo to share with family members that couldn't make it or couldn't see what I could from the aisle. This is that photo."

WATCH:

WATCH the video about Tumilson put together by the Iowa TV station KIMT:

Comments

[Ask me Later]

01:13 PM on 09/01/2011

What does it take to get our troops back home? How many more people and animals have to have their hearts broken and their world shattered? They always say that an animal is loyal to the end. This just shows that they were right.

[butchcliff]

06:31 AM on 08/31/2011

Re-post. The loyaly of a canine is truly profound. Breaks my heart.

[Jim Steffel]

09:02 PM on 08/30/2011

So utterly and profoundly sad.

[Rich Cash]

03:07 PM on 08/28/2011

This war needs to be over...

[alycemd]

02:54 PM on 08/28/2011

A picture is worth a thousand words. Hawkeye will take care of things here while you watch over him from Heaven. I'm not sure I've got this quote right, but "Fair skies and following seas".

[Rich Cash]

03:05 PM on 08/28/2011

"Fair winds and following seas"

[Doktorkev]

05:45 PM on 08/27/2011

This photo doesn't make me sad. It makes me pissed!. What it is it going to take to get these men and woman back home?? How many senseless deaths till they decide enough is enough. I fully support our POTUS, but this is now Obama's war and I'm hearing alot of talk but Im not seeing this play out nearly fast enough.

[Martampa]

05:21 PM on 08/27/2011

I cry every time I look at this.

[Jrtmom]

07:08 PM on 08/27/2011

Me too

[ruhaba]

04:27 PM on 08/27/2011

I sent this to my son, he replied to me : I needed Cyrus ( his Dog ) just as much if not MORE then he needed me. Cyrus has accompanied me through my good times and my bad times. During the hard times, it was very nice to have him with me, especially when I broke my knee. And during the good times, we celebrate together. I can't imagine my life without Cyrus now. Sometimes when I look at him, it reminds me of the challenges WE faced together. Because we were always in "it" together. Cyrus does come with blessings. Cyrus anticipates people very well and from a distance, especially at home. He does a great job keeping people away from my home when I'm gone by barking his dog butt off. He listens very well, I think he knows at least 100 commands/phrases. He remembers the family when we visit Austin to the point where he loses his mind when we get close to the house. He is very attached to me and I am very attached to him. We have an unspoken understanding !!!

[alycemd]

01:51 AM on 08/28/2011

My Furrball (cat) probably knows 100 commands -- doesn't choose to obey them, but he KNOWS them. He knows his name about as well as he knows "Get your butt down off of that Kitty Kat!" And responds about as well to it, too. I don't care what people say, pets have feelings, and this dog obviously does, too. (Maybe more than some of the nay sayers.)

[ruhaba]

04:20 PM on 08/27/2011

Its so hard to look at that picture and not be heartbroken. I feel God has given mankind the gift of knowing undying loyalty when he created dogs.

[rep suck]

05:52 PM on 08/27/2011

I can't help but wonder why God let's this happen to good people, but the vile crap is allowed to run free. I very rarely tear up but this pic does it. We shouldn't even still be there.

[Robyn Singleton]

03:10 PM on 09/07/2011

wow..there is no god..grow up and stop believing in fairy tales people!!

[Dave009]

04:16 PM on 08/27/2011

You people are so gullable. The video was LOOPED. Look at it closely...short 2-4 second clips were clipped and strung together to lengthen the video. For all we know, the dog was just laying there for a few seconds. Cause if the dog was REALLY refusing to leave, then there would have been no need to doctor the video!!!!

[Star2000dancer]

10:00 PM on 08/27/2011

Who needed to read the article? The look on that dog's face says it all. One photo would have been enough.

[jack Winn]

12:08 AM on 08/28/2011

Thanks for the facts. It's obvious that nobody wants anything to get in the way of a good story - neither the media nor the listeners.

[TedEjr]

04:14 PM on 08/27/2011

It does appear that the compassion and committment of dogs beats that of the average GOP.

[ClaireDeLune]

04:37 PM on 08/27/2011

Really? You just had to go there, didn't you. Damn, and I thought I had a horrible habit of politicizing ALMOST everything. You really went over the line on this one...

[TedEjr]

05:00 PM on 08/27/2011

The truth is difficult to accept at times, especially for GOPers. I understand.

[blackreign]

09:51 PM on 09/04/2011

That's because the natural instincts of a dog is far superior to the educated intelligence of a Replublican. Too many GOPers trying to wrap their brains around evolution.

[tedpikul]

03:35 PM on 08/27/2011

Good dog.

[DannyDiamond]

03:35 PM on 08/27/2011

I was hurt really bad in an accident and required an lengthy hospital stay when I was twelve years old. At that time I owned a registered German shepherd female that opened our glass sliding door, found my bedroom which she had never seen and proceeded to take articles of clothing of mine to a crawl space, outside, under our house where she had never gone before and laid on my clothes and couldn't be coaxed out until I came home from the hospital a week later. Upon my arrival she popped right out and never went back under there again. Animals are loyal to a fault and I love them for that. I can't stand to see any animal hurt.

[alycemd]

05:07 PM on 08/27/2011

I was in the hospital in June. Furrball (my cat) now tries to prevent me from leaving, and is sitting at the door meowing when I get back. Animals are smarter than some posters here, and care more, too.

[Star2000dancer]

09:55 PM on 08/27/2011

Boy, do I understand. I keep thinking this kitty of mine is going to find his way back to me the 1st chance he gets.

[alycemd]

11:49 PM on 08/27/2011

Stranger things have happened. Good luck to both of you.

[StrawHat]

02:44 PM on 08/27/2011

The headline was inappropriately sensationalistic and misleading. The dog attended the funeral with the family and lay on the floor near the casket. That's it. There was no "refusing to leave his master's side, even in death" about it.

C'mon people. A little decency, please.

[Star2000dancer]

09:57 PM on 08/27/2011

cold

[StrawHat]

12:28 AM on 08/29/2011

I don't believe in staged grief. I believe real grief is powerful enough to not need tarting up with fakery.

It's called being treated with dignity, dear. We all have a right to expect it when we die.

[alycemd]

01:54 AM on 08/28/2011

Where's YOUR decency?

[StrawHat]

02:46 AM on 08/28/2011

Did you have a point, dear?

[beyond infinity8]

02:34 PM on 08/27/2011

This had me bawling like a little girl.