LCC K-9 Ministries Provide Comfort During Visitation and Funeral for AJ Freund

Twenty LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs attended the visitation and funeral of Andrew “AJ” Freund” last Friday and Saturday, May 3 – 4, at the Davenport Family Funeral Home in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

With a tragic ending, 5 year old Andrew of Crystal Lake was murdered, reported missing, and found in a shallow grave a week later. Over 6,000 mourners attended Andrew’s visitation on Friday with a wide range of emotion. Sadness, sorrow, and confusion were all apparent as people of all ages struggled to find answers for this horrific tragedy.

As the many mourners weaved their way through the queue, they were met with groups of LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs along the way to lean on, love on, and be comforted with. When people exited the funeral home, another group of LCC K-9s, along with counselors from McHenry County Illinois, were there to console and listen as they shared their emotions.

Earlier in the week, three LCC K-9 Police Ministry Dogs Shiloh (Christ Our Savior – Dixon, Illinois), Julia (King of Glory – Elgin, Illinois), and Susie (St. Peter – Arlington Heights, Illinois), and their teams visited with officers and personnel at the Crystal Lake Police Department after the incident debriefing. The Crystal Lake Police Chief extended his gratitude to the LCC K-9 teams for their assistance following the investigation.

A private funeral was held on Saturday where LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Ruthie, Emma, Jacob, and Hannah (LCC Staff), and their handlers attended to be with family and friends of Andrew.

Following the visitation and funeral, LCC received the following message from Davenport Funeral Home:

“I decided (and my co-workers agree) that in our profession comfort dogs should be an everyday thing. Seriously, with all that we’ve been through as a community the past couple weeks, having these dogs around to bring smiles to so many hurting faces was a true blessing. And, this was only the first shift. The second shift was equally as eager and ready to serve. Thank you, LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs! I hope you know how much you are appreciated.”

LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs in attendance:
Angel (St. John’s – La Grange, Illinois)
Barnabas (Trinity – Hobart, Indiana)
Bekah (Immanuel – Belvidere, Illinois)
Emma (LCC Staff)
Eunice (LCC Staff)
Hannah (LCC Staff)
Jacob (LCC Staff)
Jeremiah (LCC Staff)
JoJo (Living Christ – Arlington Heights, Illinois)
Julia (King of Glory – Elgin, Illinois)
Kye (Immanuel – Belvidere, Illinois)
Ladel (St. Matthew – Hawthorn Woods, Illinois)
Levi (Immanuel – East Dundee, Illinois)
Malachi (St. Matthew – Hawthorn Woods, Illinois)
Mary (St. Paul’s – Janesville, Wisconsin)
Miriam (Comfort Dog in Training)
Ruthie (LCC Staff)
Tobias (Lord of Glory – Grayslake, Illinois)
Zippy (Trinity – Roselle, Illinois)

Please prayerfully consider donating to help LCC continue supporting the individuals and families affected through our churches during their long recovery.

Donate - LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Fund