By Ashley Wiehe
Director of Communications

It’s time to get dressed for work—one leg at a time, one, two, three, and then four. Their vests read, “Please Pet Me,” and they know exactly what to do when they put it on.

These are the dogs of the Comfort Dog program through Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) that deploy throughout the United States.

“Moriah is always ready to love on people and have them love her back,” said Nancy Pruim, a handler for Moriah Comfort Dog out of Oviedo, Fla. “She also seems to understand that she has a specific purpose when she is vested. She has been able to identify people in need of extra attention that we as handlers may not have yet identified.” 

The Comfort Dog ministry currently has more than 130 K-9s serving in more than 27 states. They respond during natural disasters, school shootings, fires, hurricanes, and every day visits with schools, care facilities, hospitals, churches, businesses, and with veterans through Honor Flights and individual visits. They go where they are needed.

“Job Comfort Dog is our bridge between him and the people we minister to as we share the mercy, compassion, peace, and proclamation of Jesus Christ to others,” said Cheryl Lockhart, a handler for Job out of Memphis, Tenn.

Teams are invited to respond to situations through their relationship with the LCMS (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) church districts and individual churches, schools, care facilities, or organizations. Last year alone, they made more than 19,000 visits nationwide.

The program began after an “eye-opening” experience with Hurricane Katrina. FEMA did not have the capabilities to help the pets of the homeowners, and it was then that they saw the extreme importance of that bond that people can have with their pets.

The program grew from there when LCC began borrowing dogs to use at disaster scenes to comfort victims. After responding to a mass shooting at Northern Illinois University in 2008, their then-president Tim Hetzner realized, “don’t wait for disasters. Place dogs in churches.” In 2009, the program expanded their visits to nursing homes, hospitals, and community events and made the dogs a regular part of northern Illinois-area congregations.

“We know that from science that when you begin to pet the dog, one of the chemicals that gets released in the body is one that is very similar when you’re experiencing trust,” said Chris Singer, current LCC president. “That really has a tendency to bring down anxiety and give opportunities for folks to open up and share.”

This team of Comfort Dogs are golden retrievers with 2,000 hours worth of training where they learn to relieve anxiety, reduce stress, and most importantly, provide an opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ with others.

“For our team, we all agree that we have been blessed to be a blessing to others,” said Sandy Shavlik, a handler for Jared Comfort Dog out of Fort Wayne, Ind. “Jared opens the door for us to meet, talk, comfort, pray, and show kindness. People open up to Jared, and we have heard many, many stories of loneliness, sadness, grief, illness, uncertainty, and fear, and we are blessed to come up beside them and offer them the love that Jesus wants us to give.”

The dogs are, on average, making about five visits each week.

In care facilities, they are visiting those who are lonely or those who are missing their own pets. Many are facing the end of their lives, and the dogs provide comfort in what many see as a desolate time.

“Seth has an amazing rapport with older adults, especially the frailer ones. He can develop a gentle concerned look when making eye contact with them that they perceive,” said Bob Massa, a handler for Seth Comfort Dog out of Seneca, S.C. “For a moment as we visit, their loneliness leaves. While they pet Seth, the ministry partner converses with them and sometimes, but not always, they share a concern or desire. This usually presents an opportunity to ask if we can pray with them and hopefully leave them knowing God loves and cares about them.”

On occasion, teams of the dogs are deployed to respond to disasters. The earliest deployment was to the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in 2012. Most recently, they responded to the fires in Los Angeles.

“Often, the dogs, by their presence, encourage people to share with us what they might be going through. This usually happens on a crisis deployment, a hospital visit, and at the rehabilitation or assisted living or memory care facilities,” said Diana Bartholomew, a handler for Lois and Zechariah Comfort Dogs out of Las Vegas, Nev. “Many times, God opens the door for us to pray with families. This is always an honor and a blessing for me to do with people. Sometimes, we all are in tears by the end of the visit, but we also are sharing a connection that was brought about by the dog’s presence.”

The program also has a special connection to veterans. With a special camouflage military vest, the dogs are making visits in a way that veterans are needing. There are 64 “Kare 9” Military Ministry dogs in service in 23 states.

“The ‘military vest’ adds a bit of respect and honor for the vets we visit,” Massa said about Seth’s visits. “It tells them we respect, recognize, and appreciate the sacrifice they made for our country.”

The program is ever-expanding as the need grows across the United States. As more are in need of a listening ear—and maybe one to scratch—the dogs will be there to bring comfort and the proclamation of Jesus Christ.

“The Comfort Dog program brings both joy and comfort to children, adults, the lonely, the sick, and the grieving,” said Dianna Garner, a handler for Job Comfort Dog out of Memphis, Tenn. “Seeing the loving, sweet face of a golden retriever just makes everything better.”

Photo Provided by Lutheran Church Charities
In 2020, multiple Comfort Dogs were deployed to Milwaukee, Wis., after a shooting. Multiple dogs and handlers provided comfort and the proclamation of Jesus Christ during their time there.