Good Boy Published May 4, 2015 By Airman 1st Class Lauren Pitts Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- A flag is folded as two American service members are laid to rest. Friends and family stand among brothers and sisters in arms as they pay their final respects. Taps plays as the heroes' remains are lowered. It is time for their final salute. The sound of German Shepherds howling in the air welcomes them home. Military workings dogs Pito and Bady are being honored as they deserve - with funerals befitting their status as veterans of the United States military. Both dogs specialized in explosives detection and served alongside their handlers here and on deployments to Southwest Asia. MWD Pito graduated from military training in 2008, and arrived at his first duty station, then McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, with his handler, Staff Sgt. Allison McKenna Price. From there, he worked with the U.S. Secret Service. Pito also deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, and continued to train until his death in 2012 from a heart condition. MWD Bady was ranked a top explosives dog and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq numerous times after his 2005 graduation. Bady also assisted on missions with U.S. Navy SEAL missions, the Secret Service, and Operation Unified Relief after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. During one of his deployments to Iraq, Bady's MWD Team was awarded the Army Commendation Medal after he alerted and uncovered 5 weapons, 2 bags of ammunition and a bag of propellant. "All lot of people don't talk about the work they've done or lives they've saved," said Price, a former 87th Security Forces Squadron K9 handler. "Think of all the caches and weapons they found -- what if those had been put into play?" Price grew up in Stockbridge, Michigan, where her family raised puppies who would later be trained as service dogs. Studying law enforcement at Michigan State University before enlisting, Price knew she wanted to work with K9s right away. She applied for the unit as soon as she met all the requirements. Price worked side-by-side with MWD Pito as his handler, and adopted MWD Bady into her home when he required special needs. "One day, he just couldn't get up, and we found out later that he would never walk again," Price said. "He was 12 and half years old, and nothing was working. Mentally he was there, but his body had given out." Trying everything from a wheelchair to a harness, it became apparent to Price that Bady's struggle was coming to a head. "If it was me, and my body had given out, and I couldn't do what I loved, how would I live my life?" explained Price. "It just got to the point when we realized we needed to let him go." Bady was cremated in November of 2014. The Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon, Michigan, is a place for people to commemorate the services of military K9s dating back to the first World War. K9 Veteran's Day, celebrated this year on April 18, was Price's opportunity to give Pito and Bady a hero's farewell. "I don't want my dogs to just be sitting on a shelf," Price said. "They deserve a final resting place, and all of the honors they've earned for the work they've done." Price believes the bond between a handler and their dog is one of the strongest in the service. Two or four legs, they are members of the same pack. "They really are like family," said Price. "Just knowing that they would do anything in their power to protect you, and you them."