John McCain's dog, who remained at the ailing senator's side until his death last year, got stuck in a pipe on the family property near Sedona and drowned, his wife Cindy McCain said.

Burma, a Chesapeake Bay retriever, died last month in what the family described as a "freak" drowning accident.

Burma scampered into the pipe that was on the property that includes a creek and ponds, and couldn't get out, Cindy McCain told The Arizona Republic.

"It's weird — she had never done this before — she ran into a pipe. You know, we have a series of ponds on our property ... and she ran into the pipe and she got stuck," McCain said. "She drowned, and eventually, her body came out the other end of the pipe.

"It's devastating. She was John's dog, period, and so what makes me feel better is I know she's with him now."

Burma rarely left the late senator's side during his final year at the couple's Cornville home. She retrieved sticks and toys, and together, they roamed the property located west of the red rocks of Sedona.

After John McCain's death, his retriever returned to his bed, where she burrowed into the blankets as the nation began to memorialize him with a week of services in Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.

Burma stayed without him on the bed for three days, according to Rick Davis, a long-time family friend and member of McCain's inner circle who helped plan his memorial services.

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