Losing a family member is a very difficult event for anyone, but things got a little easier for one Texas family in the form of a dog.

According to the Huffington Post, the family of Staff Sgt. Christopher Diaz has been in mourning after he was killed in Afghanistan in 2011.

Diaz, and his canine partner, Dino, were attempting to help a wounded Marine when he was killed. Now, three years after that horrible day, Dino has found a home in El Paso, with Diaz’s family.

“We know that he’s not going to replace Christopher, but what he will do is give us a little bit of what Christopher loved and that was the Marine Corps, that was Dino.” Salvador Diaz, Christopher’s father, told ABC10.

“He is a duplicate of Christopher; I mean, it’s just amazing,” added Christopher’s mother, Sandra.

The Diaz family was able to adopt Dino thanks to a program allowing families to take in the animal partner of slain relatives.

San Diego, California News Station – KFMB Channel 8 – cbs8.com