Concordia Lutheran High School and Holy Cross Lutheran Church and School are currently in the process of adopting a Comfort Dog through the Lutheran Church Charities organization.
The dog has been in training for nearly 1,000 hours and will soon become a reality for the two organizations.
In June, several caregivers and handlers will be undergoing training with the dog. We do not know the name nor sex of the dog until we meet in mid June.
The dog will be the responsibility of the the two organizations upon arrival in Fort Wayne. Holy Cross and Concordia have done several events to raise money for the upkeep of this dog in preparations for its arrival. A silent auction, chapel collection, dress down day at school, and “Picture your Pet” are events that have already been completed. We are responsible for feeding, grooming, and vet visits for the dog. The money raised from these events will help care for the dog.
The Comfort Dog will be part of the normal day at Holy Cross as well as Concordia as the caregivers and handlers learn how to interact with the dog. It is our hope that with the daily integration of the dog in the school that the students will find relief for their daily stressors and have another avenue to share God’s Word and grace.
The community will also benefit from visits from the Comfort Dog outside of the schools. The intended visits planned so far are to visit fire houses, nursing homes, and veterans events. The main goal is to utilize the relaxing nature of the Comfort Dog to bring a bit of stress relief but also to become an outreach tool to share God’s Word and pray with others.
Please stay tuned for more announcements about our new Comfort Dog!
Pam Rusher,
CLHS Comfort Dog program organizer