Comfort Dogs Help Recovery Team At Florida Condo Collapse Site

SURFSIDE, FL — Golden retriever dogs have been in Surfside, Florida, over the past few weeks as a way to provide comfort to those impacted by the June 24 condo collapse.

The Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry sent nine golden retrievers from across the South and Midwest to the Champlain Towers South to help first responders working on the recovery and rescue mission, NPR reported.

The comfort dog ministry has sent dogs to help people cope after a number of tragedies since it was founded in 2008, including the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting and Hurricane Sandy, according to the ministry’s website.

The vests the dogs have worn in Surfside read “Please Pet Me,” Bonnie Fear, the ministry’s crisis response coordinator, told NPR. When first responders saw them, they immediately pet them, Fear said, adding that many of them had tears in their eyes while doing so.

"They're just either shocked or pleased that we show up in time of crisis just for the people that are hurting and affected by the crisis," Fear said.

Read more via NPR