Nikki Virgilio, a friend of Mr Tumilson (known as J.T.) who was at the funeral, said Hawkeye was a personal pet rather than a military dog.

‘I can happily report to you that Hawkeye was willed to one of J.T.’s good friends, the same one that took care of him whenever J.T. was deployed overseas,’ she wrote on Facebook.

The Des Moines Register revealed this close friend to be Scott Nichols, who said at the funeral that the fallen SEAL was more scared of his parents dying than being killed himself.

‘J.T. was going to be a Navy SEAL come hell or high water,’ Mr Nichols said. ‘He wasn’t afraid of dying.’

Ms Virgilio wrote on Facebook that Mr Nicols had previously taken care Hawkeye while Mr Tumlinson was deployed abroad.