“She’s incredibly smart and loyal. I thought I knew a lot about her, but when you deploy with a dog in a combat environment and you spend seven days a week with them for seven months, you truly find what the depth of a bond is between a dog and a handler,” said Sgt. Christopher Willingham. On her final mission in March 2012 in Afghanistan, Lucca discovered a 14-kilogram roadside bomb. As she searched for additional devices, a second bomb detonated. She instantly lost her front left paw and suffered severe burns to her chest. She now lives in California with Willingham, outside the military.
Home World International Lucca, a former military dog, received the PDSA Dickin Medal, awarded for...