Only family showing up at Vietnam veteran Kay Lindemann's funeral was his dog

Beloved dog was 'only family' of Puyallup vet laid to rest
My Northwest.com
BY TIM HAECK
July 25, 2013

When Vietnam veteran Kay Lindemann of Puyallup was laid to rest at Tahoma National Cemetary Thursday, almost nobody noticed. No family was on hand, just his constant companion, his beloved dog "Buzzard." 

(Tim Haeck/KIRO Radio photo)

When Vietnam veteran Kay Lindemann of Puyallup was laid to rest at Tahoma National Cemetery Thursday, almost nobody noticed. No family was on hand, just his constant companion, his beloved dog "Buzzard."

As a young Marine, Lindemann was wounded in Vietnam and spent the rest of his life getting treatment for complications from his injuries. Roncy Roehm runs Canyon Pet Lodge and she remembers the first time she took care of Buzzard.

"We had to pick him up the first time we met him at a car dealership because his "father" had a medical episode," she recalled. His "father," Kay Lindemann, drove around in a Hummer with a place for Buzzard in the back seat.

"Kay took Buzzard everywhere with him, in fact one time Kay told me he preferred his dog over people. It was just him and his dog."

Lindemann often needed medical treatment and relied on Roehm for doggie day care.
read more here