Comfort Dogs Arrive in Miami to Comfort Surfside Condo Rescuers

• Nine golden retrievers arrive in Miami to provide comfort to first responders of the Surfside condo collapse.
• Comfort dogs work like therapy dogs that help alleviate depression, anxiety, and other forms of distress.
• Dogs develop an increased sensitivity to distress, that’s why it becomes natural for them to comfort a crying stranger.

---

Don’t underestimate a dog’s power to uplift one’s spirit. After all, a dog is a man’s best friend.

Nine golden retrievers have been brought in to Miami to provide comfort to first responders who suffer from the emotional toll of the Surfside condo collapse.

These comfort canines work similarly to therapy dogs—their job right now is to help rescuers cope with the emotional toll of the collapse.

The Champlain Towers South collapsed on June 24. First responders were deeply affected as the death toll climbed to 95 on Tuesday, the 20th day to look for victims in the rubble.

“These dogs are here for you,” said Bonnie Fear, of the Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry, as reported by WPLG Local 10. “A lot of times they [first responders] come up, they’ll fall to their knees, they’ll start crying or they’ll smile. We try not to say anything, we let the dog be the bridge for those people to grieve the loss, whatever they’re feeling.”

Therapy dogs from Miami Dade County Fire Departments are already providing comfort to the rescuers and the family of the victims. The newly-arrived retrievers stay at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church when they are not yet called to offer support.

Comfort dogs provide therapy for depression, anxiety, and other forms of distress.

For many years, dogs tend to comfort humans, making them develop an increased sensitivity to distress, and often providing comfort to a crying stranger. Dogs are sensitive. They can sense if someone is sad, hurting and sick.

“We are now very well aware that we can potentially be [impacted] by stress like PTSD, like suicide ideation, and that is what this team was designed to prevent,” Capt. Shawn Campana, a veteran of the Miami Dade Fire Dept, told WPLG Local 10 in an earlier report. 

“When a human does what we call friendly petting, which means we get our fingertips into their skin, our bodies release oxytocin,” the captain said.

Oxytocin is a hormone that creates feelings of comfort and happiness.

Source: Good News Network