Dogs on Duty  – Comfort Dogs Ministry

comfort dogs

When disaster strikes, sometimes the comfort of fellow humans isn’t enough. Whether it’s a weather related situation, an unexpected and shocking death or violent incident, the calm comfort of a dog can often bring more relief than any human interaction. Enter the Lutheran Church Charities Comfort Dog Ministries (LCC).

What Comfort Dogs Do

Every dog in the program is specially trained to provide calm reassurance and gentle love to humans who need it most. Whether it’s entering a devastated area or visiting someone in the hospital, Comfort Dogs provide much needed love and support. While the dogs do their doggy thing, their human handlers also seek ways to help such as connecting those in need with other service providers or praying with them.

Tough Enough in the Roughest Situations

These amazing dogs have been deployed to dispense love and comfort in some of the harshest situations. The aftermath of tornadoes and floods and the devastation after a student took his own life are just a couple of scenarios. Whatever life dishes out these dogs are there to help their four-legged cousins find a way through it.

How it Works

It’s actually pretty easy. If you want to include the dogs in a non-emergency event or have them visit your church or school, there’s a simple form for that. After you fill in the pertinent info and submit the form, someone from LCC will be in touch.

Requesting the Comfort Dogs in case of emergency is even easier. There’s an even simpler form that’s reviewed upon submission. The coordinators at LCC work hard to ensure you have a dog or dogs where you need when you need them.

There is no requirement that you or anyone in need of Comfort Dogs’ services are Lutheran or affiliated with any church at all. The Comfort Dogs are available to everyone, regardless of faith thanks to Lutheran Church Charities.

How You Can Get Involved

If this sounds pretty awesome to you and you’d like to get involved, there are several options. First, you could become a dog handler. You and a dog (perhaps yours) would complete a training course to learn how to act and what to do in these high-stress types of situations.

Another option is to become a trainer. There are so many people seeking to become handlers and work directly with the dogs that there aren’t enough trainers to keep up with the demand. If you love to teach and love dogs this could be a great opportunity for you.

Finally, because LCC is a charity, they rely on donations to keep things going. Your donation is tax deductible and help bring Comfort Dogs to everyone who needs them. For more about the Comfort Dogs, visit their website.

 

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Sarah Woodard is a freelance writer based in Southern New Hampshire. She enjoys bringing stories, issues and topics to life with words and pictures. In addition to writing, Sarah is a beekeeper, Reiki Master Teacher and black belt in Muay Thai Kickboxing. In her free time, Sarah enjoys spending time with her boyfriend and playing with their four cats.

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