‘Solemn honor’: Service dog honored during last Southwest flight after more than 250 trips

(Gray News) – A dog who had flown more than 250 times to help unite veterans with service dogs was honored during her last flight before her retirement.

Southwest Airlines posted a video of Kaya, a German Shepherd, on its Instagram page.

The airline said Kaya was specifically trained to help veterans cope with mental health issues and has been with her handler, Cole Lyle, a Marine Corps veteran, since 2014.

Kaya was also the main inspiration for the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) Act.

The act, which allows veterans to be united with service dogs, was signed into law in 2021.

Kaya has flown over 320 times with Cole. Out of that number, 250 of those Southwest flights were made to lobby for the PAWS Act.

The airline said Kaya was recently diagnosed with an untreatable cancer, and her last flight with Southwest was meant to take her to her birthplace of Dallas.

The plane’s pilot said it was their “solemn honor” to take Kaya to her home to rest.

Kaya was met with cheers and applause as people honored her on the plane and greeted her at the airport.

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