The “In Honor of Duco” Project: Why We Refuse to Let Another Handler Choose Money Over a Teammate

Rick Hogg stands solemnly beside his loyal combat assault dog, Duco, reflecting the deep bond and partnership they shared on the battlefield.

The Bond Doesn’t End When the Uniform Comes Off

War dog handlers don’t stop being handlers when they ETS, retire, or move on to a new chapter. The bond with a K9 partner isn’t a job perk. It’s something very few people understand, unless you’ve been saved by one.

And if you’ve lived that life, you already know the ugly truth on the back end: the mission doesn’t end, but support often does.

That support can look like a lot of things, helping other K9s, covering medical care, building memorials, or simply keeping the memory of fallen teammates alive. For me, it became all of the above, because of one dog.

Combat Assault Dog Duco wasn’t “just a dog.” Duco became part of me. On the battlefield, he was an extension of me, my teammate, my capability, my responsibility. And when I lost him, it didn’t just hurt. It clarified the mission.

Duco’s Fight: Quality of Life, Not Quit

Duco was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his right rear leg in November 2020. We made the decision to amputate to increase longevity and, most importantly, quality of life. If you’ve ever loved a working dog, you understand that choice. You aren’t chasing “more time” at any cost. You’re trying to buy good days, days where the dog still eats, still plays, still leans into you like he always did.

Duco ultimately lost his battle with cancer on July 5, 2021.

That loss is the moment the “In Honor of Duco” Project stopped being an idea and became a responsibility.

The Problem We Don’t Talk About Enough: The Price of Retirement

Here’s what most people outside the K9 world don’t see.

Retired working dogs often carry the cost of service into retirement, injuries, wear-and-tear, and illnesses that don’t care how tough your handler was downrange. And when the dog’s working days are done, the bills don’t stop. In many cases, they start piling up fast.

That creates a situation I refuse to accept: a SOF K9 handler staring at a medical decision and doing math instead of doing what’s right for the partner who carried them through war.

That’s not a “sad story.” That’s a moral failure.

And it’s exactly what this project exists to prevent.

The “In Honor of Duco” Project Mission

After losing Duco, I partnered with an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Scott’s Wish, and the “In Honor of Duco” Project was founded.

Our mission is simple, and I want it burned into your brain:

To never let another SOF K9 handler make a medical decision about their partner based on their finances. 

That’s it. No fluff. No corporate slogan. No feel-good marketing.

Just a hard standard we refuse to compromise.

This Isn’t Charity, It’s Taking Care of the Pack

In the military and in Special Operations, we talk about brotherhood and teams. We talk about the pack.

But words don’t mean anything if we abandon teammates when they need support most.

SOF K9s are combat multipliers. They do things humans cannot do. And when they retire, they deserve more than a handshake and a Facebook post.

This project is about protecting the bond that kept people alive, and making sure the end of a war dog’s life isn’t dictated by someone’s bank account.

Who the Duco Project Has Helped

This is not theoretical. The Duco Project has already helped numerous SOF K9s with medical bills and treatment.

A few names you may recognize:

SOF K9 Conan (yes, Conan from the al-Baghdadi raid) has been a recipient of support through the project. SOF K9 Layka, who lost her front leg and became a symbol of what these dogs endure, is also listed as a recipient. Navy SOF K9 Nico is among the K9s supported as well.

Those are the headline names people know.

But the real story is the quieter one: dog after dog, handler after handler, getting help when it matters, so their partner can have comfort, dignity, and quality of life.

What “Help” Actually Means

Let’s get specific.

This isn’t about paying for “extras.” It’s about medical support that directly impacts quality of life, treatment plans, procedures, recovery support, and the kind of care that gives a retired working dog the retirement they earned.

War dogs spend their lives protecting us, often absorbing risk so we don’t. The least we can do is make sure their last chapter is written with dignity.

Why This Matters for the Whole Community, Not Just SOF

You don’t have to be a SOF handler to understand this.

If you’re law enforcement, you already know K9s are force multipliers. They find what humans miss. They change behavior. They end fights faster. They save lives.

If you’re a civilian who trains hard and respects the community, you understand something even simpler: loyalty matters. And sacrifice deserves follow-through.

This isn’t politics. It’s values.

A nation that benefits from war dogs has an obligation to care for war dogs.

Legacy is a Verb

People love to say, “His legacy lives on.”

Fine. Prove it.

A legacy isn’t a memory you keep, it’s an action you repeat. The “In Honor of Duco” Project is Duco’s legacy turned into something that helps living teammates right now.

And that matters because it creates a ripple effect. One dog’s story becomes a safety net for other dogs. One handler’s loss becomes support for another handler’s hard decision.

That’s how you honor a teammate. You make their name mean something after they’re gone.

How You Can Support the Mission

If you’ve followed War HOGG Tactical for any amount of time, you know I’m not big on empty gestures. Here’s what matters:

You can donate through the official “In Honor of Duco Project” page, which provides options for card/PayPal and also includes instructions for mailing a check (made out to Scott’s Wish with “In Honor of Duco” in the memo).

And if you can’t donate right now, you can still help by doing something powerful: share the mission with people who will.

Because awareness is what keeps projects like this funded, and funding is what keeps retired K9s getting care.

Final Word: Take Care of the Ones Who Took Care of Us

Duco’s loss sparked this project. But the project is bigger than one dog.

It’s a line in the sand for the entire community: we don’t abandon our partners. We don’t treat living teammates like disposable equipment. And we don’t force handlers to choose between financial reality and the dog who kept them alive.

If you believe war dogs matter, prove it with action.

In Honor of Duco. Always.

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Rick Hogg is the owner and primary instructor of War HOGG Tactical, Inc., a North Carolina–based training company that travels nationwide delivering firearms and tactical instruction. A 29-year U.S. Army Special Operations combat veteran, SOF K9 handler, and former Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course (SFAUC) instructor, Rick applies decades of operational and instructional experience to a building-block training methodology focused on mastering the fundamentals of marksmanship and producing repeatable shooting performance on demand under stress.