When Daniel Hove was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, family and friends rallied to help the Air Force veteran-turned-assistant fire chief navigate this difficult time. But nobody was more supportive than Daniel’s loyal dog, Gunner, an 11-year-old lab who rarely left his owner’s side.
Photos of Daniel’s final years show the loyal pooch snuggling beside his human bed in bed and curling up on his lap, despite being a 90-pound dog. No matter what happened, Gunner made sure he was never more than a few inches away.
“When my dad would get agitated, the dog would be agitated, my dad was restless, the dog was restless,” his daughter said, remembering how her father and Gunner had always been in sync. “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.”
“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.”“Gunner could not be without my dad,” Heather said. “I think he chose to go with him.”
