***UPDATE: Service Dog N641–the ultimate good boy known as Cena–was laid to rest this morning. Please feel free to read through the rest of the post and pay your respects and/or donate to Jeff DeYoung’s memorial fund.***
Jeff DeYoung is a United States Marine. Cena, a gorgeous black lab, is his best friend and bomb-detecting compatriot. In 2009, they were paired based on their personalities, nicknamed “Kid and Chicken,” and sent to Afghanistan together. According to DeYoung, “[Cena] was trained to detect more than 300 different types of explosives and if he smelled something interesting on patrol he would lie down and notify me, and then I’d call in an explosives technician.” A real four-legged life saver.