Dogs are some of the most loyal animals on this planet.

Their friendliness is more than just being playful around you. They also stay by your side even in tough times.

Air Force veteran Daniel Hove and his ever-present dog, Gunner, are an example of how loyal dogs can be.

When Daniel retired from the force, he worked to serve the country in another way. He became Burnsville’s Assistant Fire Chief and many people admired him for his strong and remarkable leadership.

Daniel’s daughter, Heather Nicoletti, is a witness to her father’s achievements during and after his service in the air force.

She told KARE 11:

“He was someone that his department really relied on to innovate, educate, train and keep up with the new firefighting technique.”

Unfortunately, Daniel had to stop due to his diagnosis. The senior had pancreatic cancer.

When his family and friends learned about this, they felt saddened for the man. They showered him with love and kind words to help him get through the difficult situation in his life.

“He was diagnosed in October of 2011. He had whipple surgery in February of 2012 and then followed that by rounds and rounds and rounds of chemotherapy,” Heather added.

Everyone was concerned about Daniel, but no one could beat just how much his dog, Gunner, was present for his owner.

The dog, who was also in his older years, rarely left Daniel’s side. He was always there when Daniel was strong and active, and he also was there during the air force veteran’s battle with cancer.

His loyalty never wavered, and he consistently was there for his owner day and night. The senior dog had no other thing in mind but to be next to Daniel.

At one point, Gunner started getting sick as well.

It was something that did not come as a surprise to Daniel’s family. The veteran and his dog did everything together, and apparently, they also got weaker and sick at about the same time. Gunner was also in his senior years.

“When my dad would get agitated, the dog would be agitated, my dad was restless, the dog was restless. 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,” Heather shared with KARE 11.

Daniel’s family prepared for the worst.

Gunner’s condition was a giveaway that his owner was also about to pass away. Heather knew that the end was about to come, and so their family had prepared for the worst news.

The dog started to become unresponsive which led Heather to call for the doctor. She shared how things unfolded that day, explaining:

“I called the vet clinic I used to work at. They got me in right away and I rushed him up there, put him to sleep. And about an hour and a half later, my dad was gone too.”

Daniel and his dog finally said goodbye on the same day.

The connection between Daniel and Gunner is simply amazing. They were together even until the end.

“They were best buddies till the end. They were hunting buddies, they went everywhere together,” Heather recounted.

Gunner is not just a loyal dog. He is practically family. Daniel is lucky to have him, just as how Gunner is lucky to have the air force veteran as his owner.

The dog passed away before his owner and they never had the chance to say goodbye to each other that day. For Heather, this is somehow a blessing because both of them did not have to cry over each other’s passing.

“I had said I don’t know what’s going to be more traumatic for him,” Heather said. “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. We knew they were going to go together. We just didn’t know it was going to be hours apart.”

Heather is thankful for the life of Gunner and the way he added happiness to her father’s life.

The kind of loyalty that Daniel and Gunner had for each other is definitely one of a kind.

Learn more about this incredible story by watching the video below!

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Source: KARE 11, Facebook – Heather Hove, The Animal Rescue Site