You won’t believe what figo the dog did during his partner’s funeral

Jonathan Palmer / TODAY

Loss is never easy for any of us, man or animal. The idea of having to let someone we love go can be one of the hardest things we ever have to face in life. It is even more daunting a ritual for humans and their K-9 partners. We will never fully understand the bond between inter-species partners, because most of us will live our whole lives never working that closely with an animal. But for the people and animals who do, it is clear to see they have a bond that transcends most of us what any of us would understand. For proof of this, all you need to do is see what Figo the dog did at his partner&rsquo-s funeral. Though many have heard this story, it was one of the most moving of 2013, so we decided to tell it, one more time for those who missed it.

Beloved Kentucky police officer Jason Ellis was killed in the line of duty when we has ambushed unexpectedly. His partner, Figo the dog was not there, but was soon to find out the news. People say Figo knew something was off right away, and never quite seemed himself after the loss. People were worried about Figo and how the dog would process the loss of his long time partner. Well, they got their answer at the funeral, when Figo walked up to the coffin and put his paw on it and quietly kept it there for a moment. I would love to tell you more details, but it is hard to type with all this water leaking from my eyes. Read more at Today.

Let Figo the dog stand as a testimony to the fact that dogs very much do understand loss, and they might not process it all that different than we do. Powerful stuff, indeed.