(NewsNation) — In the middle of the grief, dogs are providing some temporary comfort in Uvalde, Texas.
“We try not to say too much because, at this point, there’s not a lot to say,” Lutheran Church Charities, K9 crisis response coordinator Bonnie Fear, told NewsNation.
Fear and a team of volunteers traveled to Texas with blue and white crosses and some furry companions.
“We did have a few people yesterday who told their story. When the dog came up, they started talking,” Fear said.
“It brought me some comfort and just took my mind off things for a bit,” Candy Esparza, friends with Ellie Garcia, told NewsNation.
“It brings comfort for them but doesn’t change the way that they feel because nothing can change what happened,” Esparaza said.
While a hug or a pet won’t change much, these volunteers hope that for a small moment, it calms the wave of grief.
“I haven’t seen a lot of anger, but I know it’s there. Just a lot of sadness. A lot of loss of hope. Just a hopeless situation like ‘here we go again. We never thought it would happen here,” Fear added.