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A new Utah holiday to honor retired war dogs?

Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, wants every retired war dog to have its day — actually their own official Utah holiday.

She is pushing to create “K9 Veterans Day” every March 13, and the Legislature’s Veterans and Military Affairs Commission endorsed her bill on Tuesday — after a couple of retired military dogs helped to lobby for it.

K9 Veterans Day has been observed for years unofficially around the nation, after a push by the late Joseph White, a military dog handler during the Vietnam War. Lisonbee said Utah should add it to its list of official state observances.