To orlando WITH LOVE by caroline coile, Photo courtesy of lcc
E very December, thousands of dogs descend upon Orlando, dazzling specta- tors with their beauty, ath- leticism and intelligence, striving to bring home ribbons attesting to their conformation and abilities. This June, a handful of dogs came to Orlando with a far loftier—though qui- eter—goal. They came as therapists in fur coats, playing to a smaller but more grateful audience: the victims, the first responders and the traumatized of the Orlando nightclub shooting. This, the deadliest mass shooting in US history, included as one of its vic- tims one of our own, Gilberto Ramon Silva Mendez. Gilberto was a Saint Ber- nard fancier from Puerto Rico, who had moved to Orlando several years ago. On the Monday following the shoot- ing, twelve Golden Retrievers arrived to offer comfort to survivors, families who lost loved ones, emergency medi- cal workers and anyone else in need of a soft, warm presence. These Goldens are part of the K-9 Comfort Dogs team, a program run by the Lutheran Church Charities based in Northbrook, Illinois. They weren’t the only comfort dogs in Orlando, but the LCC group is probably the largest in the country. The Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) K-9 Comfort Dogs is a national canine ministry. “To our knowledge there is not another group like ours where each dog has multiple handlers and is owned by a ministry organiza- tion,” says Dana Yokum, of the Lutheran Church Charities. Lutheran Church Charities does disaster response, and this is what led to the comfort dogs. “It was dur- ing our response to Hurricane Katrina where we first saw the human/canine bond as people would not leave their homes without their pets,” recalls Yokum. “Ever since that time we have
been bringing Golden Retrievers out in local and national disasters. In August of 2008 we officially started with four Goldens—two we placed in churches and two we kept internally. It exploded at that point where we now have over 120 Comfort Dogs in 23 states.” The LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs in Orlan- do came from Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee, Nebraska, Texas and South Carolina, and were accompanied by 20 handlers. Yokum explains that there are more handlers than dogs because the dogs love to work. “Having mul- tiple trained handlers allows them that opportunity by not being tied to one person’s availability.” The airlines don’t give them dis- counts on their flights, but allow the dogs to fly in cabin because of their humanitarian work. LCC is a 501(c)3 and is funded by donations, which help cover transportation and lodging. “LCC never goes anywhere we are not invit- ed,” says Yokum, “and we never charge those we serve! We are a faith-based ministry funded solely by donations.” All of LCC’s dogs are AKC Golden Retrievers. Anyone who has spent time with Goldens can attest to the fact that they are as golden-hearted as they come; it would be difficult to think of a better- suited breed for the job. Tim Hetzner, president of the LCC charity, explains Goldens have an innate desire to “love indiscriminately.” They’re smart, and love to please people. The LCC acquires the dogs, and they are all either owned by LCC or a church or school where they are placed. While our own dogs are usually our best com- fort dogs, these comfort dogs are spe- cially trained for the job. “We begin training at 8 weeks and train for 12 to 14 months before plac- ing them in an church or school, where caregivers who have a loving home are
determined and multiple handlers iden- tified and trained.” The dogs learn when it’s appropriate to approach somebody, how to ignore food (probably why Labs weren’t the breed of choice!) and even how to sit in laps without their elbows jabbing into people’s legs. They know not to bark, jump up or become agitated. They practice being well-mannered and safe whether riding on escalators or air- planes. They must accept a wide range of people of all different ages who are often acting hysterically, oddly or may have disabilities or injuries. Even peo- ple who are afraid of dogs will often watch the dogs for a few minutes, see their behavior, and come over to pet them, says Hetzner. But with all the grief counselors available, why dogs? Sure, we dog peo- ple get it, but are other people really so much like us when it comes to being comforted by canines? Turns out, yes. “We have learned that people appre- ciate the calming presence of our dogs and their handlers,” says Yokum. “They also appreciate having someone just being with them in their time of need. An important part of the healing pro- cess in any disaster or crisis situation (and many life situations) is to be able to talk about it. The LCC Comfort K-9 Dogs provide a safe setting to do that. Our Comfort Dogs are great listeners, are confidential, they do not take notes and are not judgmental.” Plus when they look happy to see you, you know they really are. Says Yokum, “There are so many people affected by tragedies such as the one in Orlando. The LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs have come alongside victims and their families, firefighters, EMTs, work- ers, medical personnel, co-workers, anyone who previously experienced violence, city workers, 911 person- nel and dozens more. The LCC K-9
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