Christian charity brought comfort dogs to Uvalde children

Among the volunteers assisting the Uvalde community after the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School are some furry friends bringing “unconditional love.”

Lutheran Church Charities arrived in Uvalde last week with a team of emotional support dog handlers and eight of their golden retrievers: Abner, Cubby, Devorah, Elijah, Gabriel, Joy, Miriam and Triton, reports CNN.

"A lot of times after something like this people don't want to talk to a human," LCC crisis response coordinator Bonnie Fear said.

"After traumatic events people don't want to deal with people, sometimes they just want that thing that they can touch, talk to without being judged, and it's pretty much that simple."

"They show unconditional love," she added.

The dogs were situated in the town square through the week, a local social hub that has been filled with memorials for the 19 students and 2 teachers who died in the shooting last month.

They also attended a private event Saturday for families directly impacted by the massacre, where Fear said they helped children open up about an event many were struggling to process.

"You could tell a lot of the kids weren't ready to talk yet. They would walk up to a dog pretty sad and confused," Fear said.

"But by the time they were done with that dog, they were hugging and smiling and even talking to the dog."

Parents told Fear that it was the first time they had seen many of the children smile since the tragedy, reports CNN.

But LCC was one of many volunteers who stepped up for the small Texas town. A local caterer cooked over 60 family-sized platters of comfort foot, listening to families’ stories as they ate. A man from nearby Harleton handed out childrens’ toys.

“"We will be back. In crisis like these, the healing doesn't happen in four or five days,” said Fear.  

“We'll bring more dogs and we'll stay as long as we're needed."