Nothing can take away the pain and suffering the people of Orlando are feeling in the wake of the horrific Pulse nightclub shooting – particularly the 49 victims’ families and friends – but the furry faces of golden retrievers can help.
Eleven comfort dogs, from the donation-based Lutheran Church Charities’ K-9 Comfort Dogs program, are busy providing warm and fuzzies to a community left reeling from the terror attack, including survivors, victims’ loved ones, police officers and medics.
The canine support system – which was also called on the help comfort the needy in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting and the Boston marathon bombing – have also visited counseling centres, and were on-hand to wag their tails at a Monday night vigil outside Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts – just under 2kms from the scene of the deadliest mass shooting in US history.
“Dogs can help,” Tim Hetzner, president of Lutheran Church Charities told The Huffington Post. “They’re like a furry counsel. They’re not judgmental and they’re good listeners, which is good because talking is an important part of healing process.”
Just look at them:
Do these photos not just reduce you to a blubbering mess? ^^^
The K-9 Comfort Dogs program started out with just four dogs in August 2008, and now has more than 100 dogs across 23 states in America.
The puppers currently in Orlando travelled from seven different states – Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska Tennessee, South Carolina and Texas – and are being cared for by 19 generous volunteers.
PUPPY LOVE FOREVER <3
Source: The Huffington Post.
Photo: Facebook / The Lutheran Church Charities.
