Peace, the service dog helps the community remember Pulse

ORLANDO, Fla. — As many gather at the Pulse Memorial to remember the 49 lives lost six years ago, a four-legged friend is on hand to lend his support.

For Peace the comfort dog and his master Paul Soost, June 12 is not just a day of remembrance, but of action.

“We’re here to be present, we’re here to listen, and we’re here to provide comfort in times of distress,” Soost said.

Every year on this day, they visit the Pulse Memorial to comfort those who are going through difficult emotions in the wake of tragedy.

“It’s a place that we know a lot of people will be going through throughout the day, a lot of people will be there to remember, a lot of people will need a bit of comforting,” Soost said.

Peace is a K-9 comfort dog trained at Trinity Lutheran Church in Orlando. The church has registered to be part of the Lutheran Church Charities Comfort Dog Ministry after seeing how other comfort dogs with the program helped in the immediate aftermath of the Pulse shooting – helping families who lost loved ones, survivors and first responders. Born just months after Pulse, Peace was named after the organization hoped it would help bring peace and healing to Orlando after this tragedy.

“She’ll lean on someone and lean on their leg and she’ll feel like they just need a little extra comfort, a little love at that time,” Soost said. .

Now, every year, Peace visits the memorial on Remembrance Day to bring comfort to those who need it most.

“When you see a dog how can you not feel a little happiness, a little joy even in times of distress? So she just helps people forget a bit about the struggles and the pain they’re going through and just gives a moment of hope, a moment of happiness, a moment of joy in difficult times,” Soost said.

This is the fifth day of remembrance that Peace is spending at the Pulse memorial. Lutheran Church Charities has comfort dogs stationed across the country to help people in times of need.