The dogs and their handlers are members of the Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog team that is headquartered just outside of Chicago. In Boston and in Texas, Golden Retrievers and their handlers have come alongside victims, families, first responders, public works employees, school children and just folks on the streets who are in need of some unconditional love, non-judgmental ears, and what Tim Hetzner, President of the LCC calls, “furry counseling.

The K-9 Comfort Dog program was started by the LCC after a shooting in 2008 at Northern Illinois University left five people dead. There were only four dogs then. Now there are 67. The dogs and their handlers were in Newtown, Connecticut following the shootings at Sandy Hook and, each day, teams are also out in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and other places where they are needed.

Donna speaks with Tim Hetzner, who is leading the team in West, Texas and who was also on the team deployed to Boston. Tim shares stories from the ministry in these cities and recounts how the dogs have been able to break through to help people move toward healing.

Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.

Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!

Luther and Ruthie, bags packed, ready to deploy

Tim has served as President of LCC since October of 2001. Tim has served in Parish Ministry for 24 years in the LCMS as a Director of Christian Education, 22 of those years in the Northern Illinois District. The last 20 years Tim has served as Director of Discipleship and Good Samaritan Ministries at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Palatine, Illinois. He has also been involved at the District level having served two terms on the Board of Directors, Mission Board, and Board of Youth Ministry. Tim is currently teaching a Bible Study called WORD - with over 450 students from 26 different churches plus Internet students. Tim each year leads study tours over to the Middle East.