The Comfort Dog Ministry at Memorial is a missional community led by Stacy Bretting, Carolyn Meyer, Brenda Davis, & Nathan Engman. Our dog, Damaris, serves as a bridge to provide comfort, peace, and hope to people who are hurting and in need. Damaris serves as a friend who brings a calming influence, allowing people to open up their hearts and receive help in times of need. When we are invited, our team of handlers and ministry assistants will take Damaris to places like hospitals, schools, nursing homes, service organizations, or simply out into the community. Beyond this, we hope to respond in times of crisis in our community and beyond.
Getting Ready for Retirement
We have begun the process of scaling back community visits as Damaris moves towards retirement. Our next step will be to start cutting back on her church presence as well. For the time being, we will only eliminate the first Sunday of each month beginning in September. We will continue to make adjustments to her schedule as we see necessary and for her best interest. Overall, she is very healthy, eats well, enjoys her downtime and is a happy 9-year-old girl! — Update from 6/21/2024 Church Newsletter
Facts About Damaris
- She is a purebred Golden Retriever
- She has passed the AKC Good Citizenship Test
- She has completed over 2000 hours of training as a comfort dog and continues regularly training each day & week.
- She is certified by Lutheran Church Charities
- She is a working dog
- She is NOT a service dog (but she is service-level trained)
- She is NOT a pet
Damaris also has her own Bible verse:
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it.” ~ Isaiah 30:21
Thank You
A special thank you to Katy Veterinary Clinic for taking such wonderful care of Damaris and for providing Veterinary services to her.
We also want to thank Suburban Mutt for taking care of Damaris’ grooming free of charge!
Contacting Damaris
To schedule a visit with Damaris you can contact Stacey Bretting, select “Comfort Dog” for the subject on our contact form.
You can also follow Damaris on Facebook.