On December 10, 2023, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Napa, California had a 10th year birthday party for their comfort dog, Aaron (born on December 5, 2013). St. John’s has had a Comfort Dog ministry through Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) since March 29, 2015. That was the date that Aaron Comfort Dog, a golden retriever trained by LCC, was installed at St. John’s. Aaron is part of an extensive care and outreach ministry for the church and the Napa community that includes at least 30 dedicated lay people who are all part of Team Aaron.
Aaron was the first comfort dog that LCC placed on the West Coast. The story began when members of St. John’s had an interest in starting a comfort dog ministry as they felt this was something God was calling them to do. As they were submitting their application for a dog and putting the pieces in place to start this ministry, the Napa Valley was rocked by a 6.1 earthquake on August 24, 2014 that caused a lot of damage and trauma to both children and adults. St. John’s requested that LCC send comfort dogs to Napa to help. Four dogs, along with their handlers from different parts of the country, visited St. John’s as well as other parts of the Napa community. This included spending time with students at St. John’s Lutheran School.
For more information on the Comfort Dog Ministry...