Spc. Andrew Brown, 22, and his military dog, Rocky, were searching a structure for explosive materials in southern Afghanistan's Helmand Province on December 3, 2015, when a bomb exploded. Brown and Rocky survived the blast and were taken to a military hospital in Germany. There, a photo was taken of Rocky wearing the Purple Heart and posted on the Facebook page of the 89th Military Police Brigade, Brown’s unit.

The photo had more than 89,000 likes, 118,000 shares and more than 9,500 comments as of Sunday morning. The 89th posted another photo Brown and Rocky in a hospital room that said, "They are both very thankful for your thoughts and prayers and are in the process of heading back home. The post said Brown had arrived earlier Friday a Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington where he was met by his waiting family.

The [Killeen, Texas] Daily Herald reported that Brown, of Eliot, Maine, suffered non-life threatening injuries and will undergo a series of tests for traumatic brain injury. The tests are routine for soldiers injured by roadside bombs. Rocky is expected to return to Fort Hood in the coming weeks. The canine suffered shrapnel wounds and a broken leg.