The joy of connection

Two K-9 Comfort Dogs reunite with special people from their past

By Sue Wagner, LCC Communications Staff

From starting days as a puppy in training to the years afterwards seeing and serving people in need, an LCC K-9 Comfort Dog meets many different people on their journey – handlers, caregivers, trainers, first responders, people in need, and much more. Each one of these special people shapes the dog they will become.

Sometimes a person comes into the dog’s life for only a short period of time; other times it’s for years. And sometimes, years can pass between meeting, but when the dog once again sees that special person, it’s like no time has passed at all.

That was the case for three K-9 Comfort Dogs—Persis, Phoebe, and Olive.

Persis (Christ the Redeemer – Tulsa, OK) is seven years old. In 2019, when she was training to be a Comfort Dog, she stayed with a volunteer apprentice trainer, like most Comfort Dogs do. The volunteer apprentice trainer, a young lady named Karina, spent time with Persis every day and would work on various commands with her. But the time soon came when Persis would be commissioned as a full working Comfort Dog and assigned to a church. Karina would have to say goodbye to the sweet dog that had been such a treasure in her life.

Then, in 2023, at the national K-9 conference in Northbrook, Karina and Persis met again and the joy and happiness were instant.

“Persis definitely recognized Karina because she got a lot of backend and tail action,” remembered Persis’ Top Dog Roxy Hurry. “Persis then started whimpering. I had never heard that from Persis before.”

The emotional connection wasn’t only on Persis’ part. Upon seeing her old furry friend, Karina started shaking and crying uncontrollably because she was so happy. Hurry shared that Karina and her mother told her they wanted Persis to go to a good family where she would be happy and bring joy to people like she had to them. “They couldn’t thank us enough for giving her a loving home,” Hurry said. Karina’s mother shared that when Persis was with them, Karina was going through some difficult times in her life. “Persis, at this young age, gave Karina the love and care that she needed, just as Jesus does for us every day,” said Hurry.

Karina definitely made an impression on Persis. So much so that Hurry says she can see where Persis’ passion came from. “This young lady loved this dog like it was her own, knowing she would have to give her up to finish the ministry was truly unselfish to me.”

More recently, Olive Comfort Dog (St. Paul – Fort Worth, TX) was able to find a longtime friend for her canine coworker Phoebe (St. Paul – Fort Worth, TX). Both dogs, along with Pax Comfort Dog, are stationed out of the same church and often go on visits together. At 14, though, Phoebe is getting on in years, while Olive is still young at 3 years old.

Through the years Phoebe has provided comfort and care to many wonderful people in her ministry – one of those was Connie. Phoebe met Connie in 2014, on what was only her second Sunday in Texas. Connie had read a newspaper article about Phoebe and called the church to see if the Comfort Dog could visit her at her home. Connie was living alone and not well. Phoebe went to visit Connie and lifted her spirits. Shortly after that visit, Phoebe and her team came across Connie at a hospital they were visiting.

“It was a surprise to find her, but she quickly remembered Phoebe and we visited with her for quite a while,” said Phoebe’s Top Dog Janice Marut. Connie could no longer live by herself, and Phoebe’s team didn’t know where she would be going. Then, four years later, an activity director at a nursing and rehabilitation center contacted the church and requested a visit. Along with the director’s name, there on the letter was Connie’s name as well!

“We were very excited to find her again,” said Marut. “We visited regularly from 2018 until Covid stopped us in 2020.” Phoebe’s team worked to keep Connie’s spirits up by sending letters and trying to stay in touch. But little did they know that Connie had lost her phone and the connection withered. Now, six years later, that same activity director requested a K-9 visit. Marut and Olive went to visit the facility. They went through the activities the director had planned, and just before they were ready to leave, Marut had a thought. “I asked if she knew where Connie was located, and she answered, ‘I’ll take you to her right now!’ I couldn’t believe it. I got so excited.”

Marut said she almost cried when they turned the corner and she saw their dear old friend. “I secretly wished Phoebe was with us, but with Connie’s diminished eyesight, she really thought it was Phoebe,” she said. Connie loved on the dog, talking to her and petting her. Olive played Phoebe’s part well, said Marut, but eventually she explained that this was the church’s newest dog, Olive, who does look a lot like Phoebe. Marut showed Connie some of the photos of Phoebe on her phone, and she sent a birthday picture of Phoebe for her to keep. “She met a very young dog in 2014, but her Phoebe has changed into a slower paced dog who still loves people and loves to visit.”

Marut said they talked and visited in the hallway for some time as people walked around them. “Before it was over we were all in tears.”

Now that Connie has been found again, Marut is making plans to return with both Phoebe and Olive. “Miss Connie is a very tender soul,” Marut reflected. “She is always concerned about how others are doing.” Connie talked about how lonely some of her friends in the facility are, so Marut promised that she would return with the dogs and spend some time visiting with her and the others as well.
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And that’s what this ministry is about. Bringing joy and comfort to people throughout all stages of their lives. And when you can connect again with a dear friend, God’s joy is shining down on you.