What do you do if you’re a Golden Retriever and you feel a need to do something in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing? Well, if you’re affiliated with Lutheran Church Charities, you might just become a Comfort Dog.
NBC News is reporting that five Goldens from K-9 Comfort Dogs spent a lot of time last week visiting bomb blast survivors at area hospitals. Senior Pastor, Reverend Ingo Dutzmann, notes that dogs “have an uncanny ability to calm and connect with injured survivors as well as hospital workers and random passersby on the street.”
People who needed a good cry without worrying about what someone would say found they could just hang on to the dogs while they grieved. Hospital personnel who have been working overtime since last Monday took a much needed break to commune with the dogs. Patients said the dogs offered them a break from concentrating on their injuries and upcoming surgeries.
Three of the dogs flew to Boston from K-9 Comfort Dog headquarters in Chicago. Two of the Goldens had been working with survivors from Sandy Hook Elementary School before moving on to Boston. After making the rounds of the various hospitals, the dogs attended worship services on Sunday at First Lutheran in downtown Boston.
Kudos to the folks at the Lutheran church for recognizing the important role dogs play in healing, and for sharing their dogs with the Boston survivors.
See a photo gallery from the dog’s trip to Boston.
Each of the dogs involved in K-9 Comfort has a Facebook page. Here are links to a few of them:
Bekah
Zoey
Zina
(If you want to see more, search “comfort dog” on Facebook.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!