Soldier and his dog died on same day; both are honored in Britain - Kansas City Star

FILE -- In this undated image made available in London by the Ministry of Defence, Lance Corporal Liam Tasker sits with his Military Working Dog, Theo, during operations in Afghanistan. The body of Lance Corporal Tasker, a dog handler with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps who was killed in a firefight with insurgents in Helmand Province is to be repatriated to Britain, Thursday March 10, 2011, along with Theo, his bomb-sniffing springer spaniel, who suffered a fatal seizure hours later at a British army base. The 26-year-old soldier and the dog had been in Afghanistan for six months, uncovering roadside bombs. In February, the defense ministry announced that Theo had been so successful - finding 14 hidden bombs - that his tour of duty had been extended by a month.(AP Photo/Ministry of Defence, ho) EDITORIAL USE ONLY:

LONDON | Liam and Theo were a team, fast friends doing a dangerous job — searching out roadside bombs in Afghanistan.

The British soldier and his irrepressible dog worked together for months and died on the same day. On Thursday they came home, flown back in a somber ceremony for the soldier remembered for his empathy with animals and the companion he loved.

Lance Cpl. Liam Tasker, a dog handler, was killed in a firefight March 1 as he searched for explosives with Theo, a bomb-sniffing springer spaniel mix. The dog suffered a fatal seizure hours later at a British army base.

Officials won't go so far as to say Theo died of a broken heart — but that may not be far from the truth.

A plane carrying Tasker's body and Theo's ashes touched down Thursday in England. As the funeral vehicles drove away, they were saluted by a long line of military dog handlers, their dogs at their sides.

In the town of Wootton Bassett, dozens stood silently, some with dogs at their feet.

Tasker's mother, Jane Duffy, said: "I'm not nurse or a vet (but) I would like to believe (Theo) died of a broken heart to be with Liam."

An uncle said the soldier had been due to leave Afghanistan soon and worried about being separated from Theo.

"That was preying on his mind," Billy McCord said, "but they are not separated now."