Love at the wag of a tail
‘Dogs are a gift from God.’ Local churches use man’s best friend for outreach
Sometimes words just aren’t enough. But a wagging tail, floppy ears, puppy eyes and a wet nose are hard to resist — even in the worst of times.
“In a lot of situations, people don’t want to talk to anyone; they might have walls up,” said Katy resident Stacy Bretting. “But a dog is like a bridge.”
At her congregation, Memorial Lutheran in Katy, Bretting serves as “Top Dog,” which means she leads and organizes the Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Ministry. Lutheran Church Charities, headquartered in Illinois, deploys thousands of volunteers nationally to respond to natural disaster and crises, as well as various missions.
Though the K-9 Ministry is only part of the church’s operation, Bretting said it’s one that makes a positive impact in Houston.
There are three “Comfort Dogs” in the area — Joy, Damaris and Gabriel — and each is part of a ministry at a church: Gloria Dei Lutheran, Messiah Lutheran and Memorial Lutheran.
These golden retrievers are trained to interact with individuals of all ages, no matter the circumstances. They become members of local churches and attend services every Sunday, greeting parishioners as they enter.
They also respond to emergencies, including the 2019 Walmart mass shooting in El Paso, as well as the school shooting in Santa Fe in 2018. Damaris and Gabriel arrived after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., in 2018 and the Sutherland Springs Baptist Church shooting in 2017.
Gabriel recently visited victims from
Hurricane Laura and regularly goes to the Harris County Sheriff ’s Office 911 Call Center.
The rest of the year, the dogs’ calendars are full, visiting schools, nursing homes, senior living facilities, VFW posts and hospitals.
The Comfort Dogs wear a vest inscribed with their name, the church they serve and the words, “Please pet me.”
Damaris serves in the K-9 Ministry at Memorial Lutheran in Katy with Bretting, who learned about the program when a Comfort Dog from Fort Worth visited the church in 2015.
“It takes about a year-and-ahalf to two years to get the dog ready and also to get your church ready, to understand what the ministry is about,” Bretting explained. “The ministry is really to reach people when they are hurting.”
Her church signed up, and Damaris joined the congregation in 2017.
Top Dog Karen Gastler at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Clear Lake said its ministry with Joy started in 2018.
“I had never heard of it before, but I do like dogs,” Gastler said. “The part that appealed to me was using the dogs as a bridge to talk to people.”
She noticed immediately that Joy knew how to fulfill that mission.
“When Joy’s there, she’s wagging her tail and making friends,” Gastler said. “It’s much easier to start talking to people, sharing faith and prayer. It’s totally different from other ministries.”
Janet Cook, a resident of The Woodlands, serves as Top Dog at the Rice Military neighborhood’s Messiah Lutheran Church, where Gabriel was placed in 2017.
At first, Cook says, she was skeptical about the ministry.
“We had never heard about it,” she said. “We’re an older congregation and don’t go outside the church walls very much.”
Still, parishioners formed a team, signed up and trained as dog handlers.
Not long after Gabriel arrived, the shooting occurred at the church in Sutherland Springs, followed by the school shooting in Santa Fe.
“It was like the handlers and I were thrown into the deep end and someone said, ‘Swim,’ ” Cook said.
Gabriel immediately made a world of difference. Cook clearly recalls the way Santa Fe students reacted to the dog.
“Those kids were hurting so much,” she said. “All we had to do was show up with a dog, and they flocked to him. That’s when our eyes opened. We saw that the ministry works.”
Cook and Gabriel went to every vigil — and they returned every two weeks for a time. Now they visit the students and teachers each May on the anniversary of
the shooting.
“You don’t have to say a word,” Cook said. “They know there’s someone there who cares.”
Cook said that sometimes the students ask to pray with the handlers, but she waits for their request.
“There are times when Christ or prayer is never mentioned,” she said. “You can’t force religion on people. You can just plant the seed.”
Instead, Cook believes the heart of the mission is being a good listener.
“People want to talk when something happens; they want you to listen,” she said.
And Gabriel makes it easier for those in need of comfort to open up.
“He just opens the door for people to walk through,” Cook said. “It’s God working through the dog.”
During COVID-19, the K-9 Ministry adapted. School and nursing-homes visit temporarily stopped.
Still, the Comfort Dogs kept working, focusing instead on window visits and meeting individuals on porches, driveways and patios. They joined parades and participated in drive-by events, greeting others through a car window.
The Houston dogs are also participating in the Lutheran Church Charities’ Virtual Visits ministry — providing support and relief from pandemic stress through online sessions with teachers, students, nurses and others.
“There’s still a need,” Bretting said. “You just have to figure out how to meet it.”
Before COVID-19, Joy visited patients and staff at area hospitals. Now, her focus is on nurses at Houston Methodist Clear Lake and HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake.
Recently, Joy and her handlers presented “Mercy Hearts” to nurses at HCA Clear Lake. These wooden hearts are signed by church members and show gratitude to the hospital staff.
Sheila Rios, a charge nurse in
the emergency department, said the Mercy Hearts will be placed in each department.
At Joy’s regular visits during the nurses’ shift changes, “everyone wants to pet her right away,” Rios said. “People go out of their way to see her. They automatically light up when she’s there.”
During the pandemic, Joy’s visits are especially welcomed, Rios added.
“Joy is a wonderful dog and definitely has a calming effect on the nurses and staff, even when they’re coming out of traumatic situations,” Rios said.
“Dogs are a gift from God to understand people,” said Gastler.
Bretting said the K-9 Ministry has changed her personally.
“I’m not as apprehensive to go up to people,” she said. “Even when you’re not with the dog, you carry on the mission.”
There’s a lot Bretting has learned from Damaris.
“We don’t see what’s inside a person’s heart, but dogs do,” Bretting said.
Houston’s Top Dogs said that the smiles on the faces of those who were in grief and the comfort the canines provide are the greatest reward.
“We’ve done our job and brought them some peace,” Bretting explained. “And who doesn’t love a big fluffy dog coming your way?”