Soldier, loyal dog make final journey

 Lance Cpl Liam Tasker, a dog handler with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, was killed in a firefight with insurgents in Helmand Province last week. Theo, his bomb-sniffing springer spaniel, 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.

Tasker’s squadron commander, Major Caroline Emmett, said the soldier and Theo “were made for each other.”