Hero dogs. A soldier's best friend.

Dear Editor,

For years I have been a fan of the National Geographic Magazine.

So, naturally, when I spotted a June 2014 edition of this publication in the section where they are kept for residents of El Dorado Manor, I borrowed it.

On the front of the issue was a handsome German Shepherd dog wearing a medal for heroism.

There was a caption saying “Hero dogs. A soldier’s best friend.”

I turned a couple of pages and found a picture of a soldier in Afghanistan and Layla the dog featured on the cover of the magazine.

She was protecting her handler, Staff Sgt. Julian McDonald. During a search to clear an enemy compound, she was wounded, taking four rounds from an AK-47. Bravely, she protected her handler, McDonald, and other members of their team.

It took seven hours of surgery to save her. This included the amputation of her left front leg. She was fitted with a special prosthesis.

For about 14,000 years, dogs have built a relationship with humans that has made them our best friends.

The military deploys about 500 dogs yearly. They are carefully trained and so are their handlers. McDonald had only been with her a month before she was wounded.

He made arrangements for her to be shipped to him in the U.S. She was the reason he was able to safely return to his son and wife.

Layka jumped out of the van that delivered her to McDonald.

She moved like she had never lost a leg. Instantly, she recognized him.

It was as though they had been together forever. Yet it was really only one month.

The selfless loyalty of dogs and handlers saves lives.

Helen Ruth Arnold,

Trenton, Neb.