What do you get when you fill a room with 90 gentle, loving golden retrievers?

A lot of tail-wagging and an uplifting time of fellowship and training for the Lutheran Church Charities comfort dogs and their teams.

Joining others from across the country, Kingfi sher Emmanuel Lutheran Church’s comfort dog Miriam and her team members recently took part in the annual LCC K-9 Ministries National Conference in Northbrook, Ill.

Of the eight dog handlers and 12 ministry partners involved in the local ministry, seven members were in attendance including top dog handler Keith Leimbach and his wife Wendy, Pastor Tim McCarty and his wife Heather, Pat and Sheila Luedders and Susan Post.

Serving as a bridge for their ministry partners to share the compassion and love of Jesus, approximately 130 LCC K-9 comfort dogs from 27 states provide support and hope in their communities and throughout the United States during times of crises, tragedy and hardships.

Embracing the conference theme “Presence, Comfort, Hope - Together We Serve,” participants had the opportunity to hear from several speakers on topics such as grief and mourning, mental health issues, children and trauma and self-care.

Many of the sessions were very helpful in addressing situations the team encounters while deployed nationwide during disasters and crises as well as in the local ministry, Leimbach said.

“We heard from a retired Chicago Fire Department captain about mental health issues,” Leimbach said.

“We also had a class about children and trauma in which they discussed how to interact with kids and help them feel safe.”

Other discussions were about grief and mourning and how to be present, just listening and allowing people to spend time with the dog, Leimbach added.

Currently in their third year of ministry, Leimbach said they received their first national deployment in response to the mass shooting that occurred May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 students and two teachers were killed.

As many as 12 dogs were sent during each of three weeks to comfort the students, parents and community and many of the dogs returned again, including Miriam, in August as classes resumed.

During that time, Uvalde Public School District head counselor Barbara Chase coordinated the placement of the dog teams throughout the school system as needed.

A welcome surprise at the conference, Leimbach said, occurred when the group was watching a video compilation about the yearly activities of the dog teams.

As the video began to break up, suddenly Chase and her son Alex appeared to the crowd’s delight.

On behalf of the school and Uvalde community, Chase expressed her thankfulness for the love and comfort the LCC K-9 comfort dog ministry provided during the tragic event.

Previously getting to know several of the dogs when they visited Uvalde, Leimbach said Alex was in seventh heaven seeing 90 of the comfort dogs in one place at the conference.

“Alex was just hugging all the dogs and getting all their cards, pets and licks,” he said.

Another feature at the conference, Leimbach said, was a tribute to the 14 dogs which have passed away since the program’s inception in 2008.

During the year, Miriam regularly provides comfort at assisted living facilities, the Compassion Clinic, a homeless ministry, a boy’s group home in Norman and in a new ministry at the Canadian County Youth Detention Center as well as others.

In May 2023, Miriam and her team were also deployed to Allen, Texas, after the mass shooting at a local mall in which 15 people were injured, with eight victims losing their lives, including a 3-year-old child and a third-grade student.

During that time, Miriam visited with students at the elementary and high school, also interacting with the hurting community.

“At the high school,” Leimbach said, “one of the students who worked at the mall and had witnessed the aftermath, just fell to her knees, hung on to Miriam and started crying.”

After spending some time with a counselor, she returned and sat down with Miriam again, just petting and hugging her, Leimbach said.

“She looked up and had a bit of a smile on her face and just said, ‘thank you so much,’” he said.

Those moments are what it’s all about, Leimbach added.

A recurring theme expressed by those they minister to, particularly those involved in mass tragedies, is “they’re just happy we’re there and also surprised by the distance many of the dog teams come to share comfort and caring,” Leimbach said.

As a beacon of hope, a lighthouse was chosen as part of the theme for the conference along with the Bible verse in Psalm 43:3, “Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.”

Over the past three years, Leimbach said the team members have grown in their ability to talk and pray with strangers, breaking down walls and also have become closer to God and each other.

“We’ve learned to open up with people we don’t know and may not understand, but are willing to listen and find out,” Leimbach said.

As the conference concluded, Leimbach said it was good to share experiences and an uplifting time with the other dog teams and take home new tools they can implement as they serve others.

Celebrating her fifth birthday soon, Miriam and her team plan to continue their various ministries and will once again sponsor the second annual Miriam the Comfort Dog - Fun Run & Walk in October with the proceeds benefiting a local charitable organization.

Miriam is available to “comfort whoever needs it,” Leimbach said, “but we only go where we’re invited, so if there’s a need, please contact us.”