Dogs comfort victims in Newtown, Connecticut

A team of therapy dogs from the K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry (Lutheran Church Charities) arrived in Newtown, Connecticut in the days immediately following the tragic massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary. 

The dogs have been attending funerals, church services and vigils and spent time with the children and adults of the grieving town. A post on the Lutheran Church Charities website describes a positive reaction from the residents. 

"The reaction to the presence of the Comfort Dogs has been overwhelming," it said. "Children and adults alike have smiled for the first time in days as they reach out to pet or hug a dog. They begin to relax and as that happens, they start talking to the handlers about their fears and pain."

The comfort dog project has been in place for four years. It began in 2008, after a gunman killed five students at a Northern Illinois University. Now 60 dogs in six states are prepared to help out when tragedy strikes.