Golden Retrievers Help To Heal Boston

Heritage Trading Company extends our condolences to all those affected by recent tragedies in Boston, MA, and West, TX.  The following article demonstrates how important our canine friends can be in times of sorrow but also in our everyday lives.   Golden Retrievers Help To Heal Boston    Five, doe-eyed golden retrievers - K-9 Comfort therapy dogs from Lutheran Church Charities -- traveled to Boston a few days ago to help heal a grieving city.  The fluffy necks of Luther, Ruthie, Maggie, Addie, and Isaiah - service dogs with special training in emotional support - were the perfect place for many Bostonians to find solace in the aftermath of senseless violence.   Unfortunately, these pooches have been busy the past several months - they were sent to comfort Newtown, Connecticut, where the dogs stayed with students of Sandy Hook Elementary School.  And, last week another group of K-9 Comfort Dogs traveled to West, Texas, to comfort families of victims, first responders and other survivors affected by a fertilizer plant explosion.  The Lutheran K-9 Comfort program started five years ago, in response to a shooting at Northern Illinois University, which left five students dead.  "People talk to the dogs - they're like furry counselors, "Tim Hetzner, president of Lutheran Church Charities, said recently.   But how can a simple animal have such immense power?  According to Marjorie Jacobs, a training associate at Boston University's Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, "Petting and holding dogs releases a hormone (oxytocin) that brings grieving people back to the present moment, allows them to forget about the past and avoid being anxious about the future." Wherever the K-9 Comfort Dog team goes, they help provide a respite area, a place to step away from fear and sadness and work through the healing process.   Call Heritage Trading Company for all of your pet needs, including vaccines, medications and remedies, nutritional supplements, dewormers, flea & tick and pest control, grooming, feeding equipment, collars & leashes, training, beds, and toys & treats for your customers' pets.  Call Heritage Trading Company for information and orders.