A new Lutheran has arrived in Fort Worth, ready to provide comfort to people in need — one paw at a time.
Olive is a 2-year-old golden retriever working for Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry, a human-care ministry based in Illinois. The national ministry aims for comfort dogs to be a bridge for helping people in need and opening doors for conversations about faith.
Olive was commissioned to join the nonprofit’s Southwest Region Comfort Dog team in early January. She now joins golden retrievers Phoebe and Pax at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Worth and Summit Aledo Lutheran. Together the three pooches, now called Team P.O.P., visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools and grief centers in the community.
Olive, along with her team of volunteer caregivers, ministry partners and dog handlers, took to the pulpit Jan. 5 at St. Paul Lutheran Church for her commissioning ceremony. While sporting shirts in a color salute to Olive’s name, her team received a blessing along with the pup from Andy Audette, senior pastor at the church…