Layka is a hero. And that word is not used lightly, even though she’s also a dog.

Think about what you would do if your military comrades were running into an enemy compound in Afghanistan and taking direct rifle fire with Apache helicopters hovering overhead.

Saving lives

In May 2012, Layka and her team were sent into the line of fire to search for injured or live combatants and explosives. As she charged ahead to do her job, the dog engaged an enemy combatant.

Unfortunately, the heroic Layka took four rounds, point-blank, from an AK-47 in the right shoulder area. Still, she managed to subdue the shooter and save the rest of the unit from his gunfire.

But no soldiers are left behind, so her handler, Staff Sgt. Julian McDonald, carried her out to the extraction point for medical treatment. She would need more help though – so she was transported to Germany for the appropriate surgery.

While she survived, she had to have her right leg and removed. And by August of 2012, she was medically retired while recovering at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

Fellow soldiers fight for a better life

McDonald believes Layka is responsible for saving American lives. And there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her. In 2016, she was named as one of the eight most heroic hounds by the Humane Society – taking the Military Hero Dog category.

Despite criticism from friends, he fought hard to adopt the valiant Belgian Malinois. And it’s sad to hear that few were supportive of his decision.

“She saved my life, that’s why I’m here. I owed it to her, and that’s why I fought so hard to adopt her, even when people were saying ‘she’s too aggressive.’ They deserve good homes.” McDonald said.

Her inspirational story was shared on YouTube by National Geographic.

“On the day Layka got shot in May, instantly I felt the sense of urgency to fix her,” her old handler (and now owner) told the camera. “I owe this dog everything from this day here on out, with my son, with my mother, with my family… I owe her everything.”

A new home

While everyone made the decision that seemed best at the time, the Seargent still felt guilt about Layka’s injuries.

“I felt really bad because I was the one who put her in the building. But at the same time, I was relieved that I was still alive, and my buddies to my left and right were also still alive.”

Military dogs don’t always get readily adopted when they come home and McDonald and his family are dedicated to showing that they can, indeed, settle into homes and become loving pets.

From the battlefield to the backyard

For example, Layka immediately took a shining to the Seargent’s 1-year-old son.

“The first time I brought her home, my son was just over one year old at the time,” he said. “She went right over to Liam and submitted and lay on her back. My son got on top of her chest, grabbed her ears and put his hand in her mouth, and she wasn’t doing anything. She was just laying there and taking every bit of it.”

Layka has been a wonderful companion – and the Seargent continued to take her for some army training every so often to let off some steam.

“If you bring them into a home environment then they will become a product of that environment, because all animals learn to adapt and survive. If the dogs put their time into the country, then the government owes it to them to put their time into them.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Be sure to scroll down below for more on Layka’s amazing story.

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Source: American Humane Society, YouTube – National Geographic