The shooting incident in Las Vegas, where an event called Route 9 Harvest Musical Festival was being held, shocked everyone and left a lot of people traumatized.
Stephen Paddock, the suspected shooter behind the incident, has killed 59 people and has injured nearly 500. And the people who were injured, witnesses, and the families of those who were killed desperately needs emotional healing.
With the growing and desperate need for comfort, Tim Hetzner has lent a much-needed help. He is the president and CEO of the Lutheran Church Charities and the founder of K-9 Comfort Dog Ministries.
Through the help of his comfort dogs, he spreads care and compassion to the victims of the shooting incident to help them cope up with the tragedy. These comfort dogs could be their outlet of sadness, sorrows, and other emotions that are needed to be released because it’s a very important part of healing. And though these dogs are specially trained for these situations, being unconditional, confidential and safe are natural traits that can be readily found on them.
After the Las Vegas shooting incident, Hetzner got numerous phone calls to deploy his comfort dogs on area hospitals, at schools, and for the first respondents. Las Vegas Convention Center is also one of the first places they’ve visited. There, they comforted the families who anxiously wait for the latest news about their loved ones.
Hetzner and his K9 companions have dealt in these kinds of situations like the Orlando, Dallas, and Sandy Hook shootings, including the Hurricane Harvey tragedy.
They visit incidents only when someone has invited them to be sure that they are really needed in those situations. But one of the most important thing to take note of here is that he provides these comfort-giving services for free, which is a true charity at work.
With their humble beginnings way back in August 2008 with only four dogs, his ministry has grown into more than 130 dogs providing comfort in 23 states during tragedies. And there’s a reason why his cause keeps on growing — because the world needs it– and his army of comfort dogs are always ready to comfort anyone who needs it.
Source: Nicole Pelletier via Abc News