Crisis coordinator Bonnie Fear has traveled with Lutheran Church Charities across the country for years, offering comfort to survivors of tragedy in the form of quality time with emotional support dogs. This week they are in Uvalde, TX with eight fluffy golden retrievers: Abner, Cubby, Devorah, Elijah, Gabriel, Joy, Miriam and Triton. In the town square, one little girl sits in the grass and hugs Miriam, an excitable, floppy eared princess who loves to be cuddled. When she pulls away, tears are seen streaming down her face. But as Miriam comes in for a kiss, she giggles. Her mother looks on fighting to hold back tears of her own. Parents became overwhelmed with emotion when they saw their children interact with the animals, Fear said. For the first time in days their kids were smiling again. At one point there was so much laughter coming from the area that officials became worried and came over to check what was happening, she said. 📷: Lutheran Church Charities