Hospitalized vet meets canine hero

Submitted photo
Lisa Sparrow, respiratory therapist at Ozarks Community Hospital in Gravette, introduced “cover dog” Layka to her patient, Col. Mike Hansen, on Nov. 12. Layka, a bomb-sniffing dog, was honored by being featured on the cover of National Geographic after she saved the lives of several soldiers on a mission in Afghanistan. She was shot four times and had to have her right foreleg amputated as a result of the operation but subdued the shooter, protecting the soldiers in her Special Forces unit. Sparrow’s son, Staff Sgt. Julian McDonald, was Layka’s handler in Afghanistan and has adopted the dog since she left active duty. He was one of the soldiers saved by Layka. Sparrow told Col. Hansen about the incident and he requested to meet Layka, so a meeting was arranged. It was a special Veterans Day gift for Hansen, who is hospitalized while recovering from a stroke.
Submitted photo Lisa Sparrow, respiratory therapist at Ozarks Community Hospital in Gravette, introduced “cover dog” Layka to her patient, Col. Mike Hansen, on Nov. 12. Layka, a bomb-sniffing dog, was honored by being featured on the cover of National Geographic after she saved the lives of several soldiers on a mission in Afghanistan. She was shot four times and had to have her right foreleg amputated as a result of the operation but subdued the shooter, protecting the soldiers in her Special Forces unit. Sparrow’s son, Staff Sgt. Julian McDonald, was Layka’s handler in Afghanistan and has adopted the dog since she left active duty. He was one of the soldiers saved by Layka. Sparrow told Col. Hansen about the incident and he requested to meet Layka, so a meeting was arranged. It was a special Veterans Day gift for Hansen, who is hospitalized while recovering from a stroke.

— GRAVETTE -- Col. Mike Hansen, a veteran patient at Ozarks Community Hospital in Gravette, had a special visitor on Veterans Day this year when a canine hero, Layka, visited him in his hospital room.

Layka is a Belgian Malinois which was the first military working dog to be honored by the 341st Training Squadron for her heroic actions while assigned to a U.S. Special Forces unit in Afghanistan. This special award resulted in her being a "cover dog" when she was featured on the cover of the National Geographic magazine, which carried a story about her heroism.

Layka was only 2 when she was serving on a mission in Afghanistan. A bomb-sniffing dog, she was sent by her handler, Staff Sgt. Julian McDonald, into a building where she was shot four times by enemy forces. Though severely injured, she still managed to subdue the shooter, protecting McDonald and his fellow soldiers. She had her right foreleg amputated as a result of her injuries in the operation. She still helps train other military dogs.

Col. Hansen joined the Army National Guard at age 18 and enlisted as a private E1. He was trained as a heavy equipment operator. He proudly served for a period of 35 years and retired as a full colonel.

He and his wife Angie have been living in Bella Vista since his retirement. He told Amanda Gittlein, OCH communications manager, that he enjoyed his time in the Guard because he was able to meet and work with people from many different walks of life. One of his most memorable moments, he said, was being able to swear in both of his daughters when they joined the Air Guard.

General News on 11/26/2014