A U.S. Marine veteran in Hidalgo County is mourning the death of a veteran who was deployed on four legs.

Sgt. Fieldy was a bomb-sniffing dog from the Valley who saved countless lives while serving three tours in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Fieldy died Thursday evening on an unseasonably cold and gloomy day in deep South Texas. The 15-year-old black Labrador was honored with a gun salute at a gun range in Hidalgo County where he spent the last hours of his life.

“He's lived a lot longer than expected when it comes to military dogs,” Sgt. Fieldy’s handler – Cpl. Nicolas Caceres – said.

Sgt. Fieldy is the war hero who inspired an effort to change the way our country treats military dogs. 

Caceres had been trying to get his dog a military burial, but was informed last fall that military war dogs aren't eligible for burial in veterans cemeteries.  

RELATED: Military dog denied burial at Valley veterans cemetery

Since then, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez filed the Sgt. Fieldy Act to honor military dogs. If approved, it would allow military dog burials in veteran cemeteries.

“This bill is going to bring awareness around the country that we have veteran working dogs, such as Sgt. Fieldy, who have served many tours of duty that have saved thousands of American lives —men and women that are in uniform,” Gonzalez said.

RELATED: Congressman Vicente Gonzalez introduces bill that would allow working military dogs to be buried in veteran cemeteries

Sgt. Fieldy was cremated, Caceres said. 

“I'll hang on to his remains until the bill gets passed, I'm very hopeful that the bill gets passed,” Caceres said. “And when it's my time, I'll be buried there, and we'll be in the same place again."