Parents of Fallen U.S. Soldier Adopt Son's Bomb-Sniffing Dog

The parents of a fallen U.S. soldier are adopting the dog that the military says loyally rushed to the Marine’s aid when he was killed in Afghanistan.

Darrell and Kathy Rusk picked up the dog, Eli, on Thursday. They asked the military if they could adopt the four-year-old black Labrador after their son was fatally shot in December during a gun battle with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Twenty-year-old Pfc. Colton Rusk was the handler for Eli, who was trained to sniff out explosives. The military discharged Eli from service following Rusk’s death.

Military officials say Eli is only the second military dog to be adopted by the family of a slain handler.

The Rusks picked up the dog at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, the training headquarters for all dogs used by the U.S. military. They said they wanted to adopt Eli because their son talked about him constantly, making him seem like part of the family.

Poetry: A Stump for a Tail

You can't buy loyalty, they say

I bought it though, the other day;

You can't buy friendship, tried and true,

Well just the same, I bought that too.

I made my bid, and on the spot

Bought love and faith and a whole job lot

Of happiness, so all in all

The purchase price was pretty small.

I bought a single trusting heart,

That gave devotion from the start.

If you think these things are not for sale,

Buy a brown-eyed puppy with a stump for a tail.

--- author unknown ---

Darwin Award? Woman tries to mail puppy via USPS

Really....there are just some people on this planet you have to wonder about...

Postal workers in Minneapolis got quite a surprise when a package suddenly moved on its own.

Suspicious, they opened it up -- and found a live puppy inside.

Authorities say that Stacey Champion, 39, tried to mail the 4-month-old dog from Minneapolis, to Atlanta, in a package with no food, water or air holes, The Star Tribune reported.

If postal workers hadn't found the animal, it would have died, officials say.

"It was supposed to be a birthday gift for a family member," said Minneapolis Police Sgt. Angela Dodge, according to The Daily Telegraph.

"It would have been kind of traumatizing to get a dead puppy.

"Postal workers became suspicious when they saw the package move on its own and thought they heard it panting. They rescued the black poodle-schnauzer mix, whom they have christened "Guess."

The dog "was so happy to get out," said Thompson Ojoyeyi, a postal worker. "We gave him water and he drank so fast.

"It is legal to send certain animals, such as bees and some cold-blooded animals, through the mail. But it is not legal to send animals such as cats and dogs.

Champion has been charged with animal cruelty. Authorities say she hasn't said why she thought she could send a dog through the mail -- or why she didn't tell postal workers about the box's contents.

She has, however, asked for a refund of the $22 postage that she paid."She just wanted her money back," Ojoyeyi said, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Guess was taken to the city's animal control facility. It's not clear whether Champion will try to keep the animal, but it seems likely Guess will be put up for adoption.

Everyone who has worked on the case is hoping that he will find a good home."He's cute as a bug's ear," Dodge said