Dita the Hair Missile, the Belgium Malinois who played Cereberus on SEAL Team, has sadly died. The hounds owner, Justin Melnick, shared the tragic news on Monday via Instagram.
“Dita the Hair missile 07/02/14- 07/13/25. She was taken suddenly and unexpectedly due to bloat. Because of her age and the invasive surgery, I had to make the tough call. To my best friend thank you. You will be missed,” penned Justin.
Stars of the hit CBS drama flocked to the comments section to pay tribute to her beloved cast member. David Boreanaz, who portrayed Bravo Team leader Sealy Booth on the show, wrote: “A great soul who will always be with you brother. Rainbow bridge.”
The actor later took to his own profile to share a heartfelt video montage that featured touching photos of special moments he shared with the adorable pup. He captioned the post: “Fly high Dita thank you for everything…Bravo 1.”
SEAL Team fans were sure to pay their respects and share their well wishes. “What a beautiful tribute! She was a beautiful dog and clearly loved. It is never easy to day goodbye. May the memories of the joy she brought help give you some peace in this time of grief,” commented one social media user.
“Our Deets ! Memories forever ! We will never forget you . Fly high sweet Dita,” added another fan.
“RIP beautiful Dita. Your service for team Bravo 1 will not be forgotten,” penned a third follower.
Dita was an original cast member of SEAL Team – a real-life police K9 trained in narcotics detection and counter-terrorism. She was partnered with the character Brock, who was portrayed by her real-life owner, Justin. The dog appeared in several seasons of the series before retiring from active duty.
© Getty ImagesAccording to the team, Dita struggled to distinguish between real-life situations and the simulated action of the series, which led to experiencing signs of combat stress – particularly from the loud explosions on set. She was therefore retired from action scenes and replaced in the later seasons by Pepper, a Dutch Shepherd.
“For me approaching that, those moments, especially with Dita, was gaining the trust factor,” David told Parade.
© Getty Images“Dita was great. She was on point. We worked a few weeks ahead of time in certain situations with me being closer to her, working with the dog on sitting, and knowing how to hold the dog.”
He continued: “Safety is first and foremost on the show. Always has been. And when working with a dog or any animal in that type of environment, it makes it even more difficult. So, I had to really be in tune with Dita. And I was. That’s what was my approach was.”
Read the full article here
