{"id":2861,"date":"2016-07-01T17:02:31","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T17:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ocfl.flywheelsites.com\/2016\/07\/comfort-dogs-deliver-smiles-to-orange-county-during-time-of-healing\/"},"modified":"2022-01-12T12:12:17","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T17:12:17","slug":"comfort-dogs-deliver-smiles-to-orange-county-during-time-of-healing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/2016\/07\/comfort-dogs-deliver-smiles-to-orange-county-during-time-of-healing\/","title":{"rendered":"Comfort Dogs Deliver Smiles to Orange County During Time of Healing"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the wake of tragedy, Lutheran Church Charities\u2019 K-9 Comfort Dogs deployed to Orange County, Fla., to help soothe the pain of those impacted by the Pulse Orlando nightclub shooting.<\/h3>\n

Golden Retrievers from all over the U.S. traveled to Orlando to comfort survivors in the hospital, families of the victims, Pulse employees, first responders and members of the community.<\/p>\n

Among those who received a visit from these furry friends were employees at the Orange County District Nine Medical Examiner\u2019s Office and the Orange County Government Administration Center.<\/p>\n

The Orange County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office worked around the clock to identify, autopsy and reunite the 49 victims of the Pulse tragedy with their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had been working nonstop. Throughout the last couple of days, my office has had time to reflect on what happened,\u201d Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Joshua Stephany said when the comfort dogs came to visit. \u201cMy staff may not be able to describe what they\u2019re feeling, but you can tell by their smiles and the way they are laughing that these dogs are helping them get back to normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The comfort dogs, whose vests read \u201cPlease Pet Me,\u201d complete a one-year training program, starting when the pups are just eight weeks old. They have traveled to Newtown, Conn., following the Sandy Hook shooting and to Boston after the Boston Marathon bombings to offer comfort and warm snuggles during a time of grieving.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been really great for us. I think the dogs make a huge difference; your comfort level goes up and it helps people relax,\u201d Director of Orange County Health Services Dr. Christopher Hunter said. \u201cIt puts a little joy in our staff\u2019s lives and helps them go back out there and do a job that is very difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the dogs\u2019 visit to the Medical Examiner\u2019s Office, ABC News documented the love and hugs the golden retrievers brought to the staff. Watch ABC’s video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As for Dr. Stephany, he says it\u2019s important to have a way to decompress after work each evening, which is why he has two golden retrievers of his own; Kennedy and Gronkie.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dogs don\u2019t care what I do at work each day,\u201d Dr. Stephany explained. \u201cThey just want to have someone to play with, pet them and walk them. They keep me grounded.\u201d<\/p>\n

To view photos from the K-9 Comfort Dogs\u2019 visit to the Medical Examiner\u2019s Office, visit Mayor Jacob’s Flickr album<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the wake of tragedy, Lutheran Church Charities\u2019 K-9 Comfort Dogs deployed to Orange County, Fla., to help soothe the pain of those impacted by the Pulse Orlando nightclub shooting. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3190,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[24,29,132],"class_list":["post-2861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-services","tag-county-news","tag-featured-stories","tag-pulse"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nComfort Dogs Deliver Smiles to Orange County During Time of Healing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/2016\/07\/comfort-dogs-deliver-smiles-to-orange-county-during-time-of-healing\/\" \/>\n<meta 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