• Kaya, a German Shepherd service dog from Texas, boarded her final flight home after being diagnosed with an incurable type of cancer. 
• “We were honored to fly our loyal friend and hero, @kayalyle, home to rest after a lifetime of hard work,” said Southwest Airlines.

Kaya, a German Shepherd service dog from Texas, boarded her final flight home after being diagnosed with an incurable type of cancer. 

On its official Instagram account, Southwest Airlines posted a video of Kaya being carried onboard by her handler, Cole Lyle. 

“We were honored to fly our loyal friend and hero, @kayalyle, home to rest after a lifetime of hard work. Throughout her career, Kaya flew with us over 250 times to help establish the PAWS Act, which united Veterans with service dogs. We are so grateful to be a part of her legacy, and we thank her and owner @ctlyle for their many years of service,” read the caption of the heartfelt post. 

According to a source, Kaya was specially trained to help veterans cope with mental health issues. She was under the care of her handler, Cole Lyle, a Marine Corps veteran since 2014. 

Kaya flew over 320 times during her eight years long career. Of that number, 250 Southwest flights were made to lobby for the PAWS Act.

She was also the inspiration behind the establishment of the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) Act.

The PAWS act allowed veterans to be united with service dogs and was signed into law in 2021. The PAWS act created and funded a program that trained canine fellows in helping veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Kaya was recently diagnosed with an untreatable form of cancer. Southwest Airlines was taking her back to her birthplace, Dallas, to honor her and the time she had left.

The pilot of Kaya’s last Southwest Airlines flight said it was their grave honor to take Kaya to her home to rest. After the pilot’s announcement, the flight gave Kaya a round of applause, and she perked up from her blanket.

Kaya, the German Shepherd service dog, was greeted with cheers and applause when she boarded her flight and later, after landing at the Dallas airport. 

Cole Lyle was in pretty bad shape after retiring from the military. When he left the military, he was 22 years old and tried to utilize the VA system. He took pills and even went to counseling, but his symptoms seemed to stagnate or worsen. Unfortunately, he was also going through a divorce.”

Talking about Kaya’s role in his life, he said, “When Kaya came into my life, I felt responsible for her care. The responsibility of taking care of Kaya helped me regain a sense of purpose, which is something pills could not do for me.”