The dog, named Sully H.W. Bush, will join the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's Facility Dog Program
Following his death, former President George H.W. Bush's service dog will begin working with U.S. veterans.
Sully H.W. Bush, a 2-year-old yellow lab named after the famous pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III, was given to the late president in June. Former first lady Barbara Pierce Bush (who hailed from the same family as former President Franklin Pierce) had passed away two months before.
In a tweet shortly after he got Sully, Bush called his new canine companion “beautiful — and beautifully trained" adding that he “[c]ould not be more grateful." Sully was trained to open and close doors, retrieve items, push emergency buttons, and to help support President Bush when he tried to stand up.
A great joy to welcome home the newest member of our family, "Sully," a beautiful -- and beautifully trained -- lab from @AmericasVetDogs. Could not be more grateful, especially for their commitment to our veterans. pic.twitter.com/Fx4ZCZAJT8
— George Bush (@GeorgeHWBush) June 25, 2018
Jim McGrath, a spokesman for Bush, tweeted a photo of Sully lying down in front of the former president's coffin, with the caption “Mission complete."
Mission complete. #Remembering41 pic.twitter.com/rXdyXAS4lk
— Jim McGrath (@jgm41) December 3, 2018
America's VetDogs, the organization that paired Sully with Bush, announced on its Facebook page that Sully will be working with the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's Facility Dog Program. According to the post:
He will be working alongside fellow VetDogs facility dogs SGT Dillon and SGT Truman who are there to assist with physical and occupational therapy to wounded soldiers and active duty personnel during their journey to recovery at Walter Reed Bethesda.
Reposting that picture of Sully lying in front of his father's coffin, former President George W. Bush wrote on Instagram that while the Bush family will miss Sully, “we're comforted to know he'll bring the same joy to his new home, Walter Reed, that he brought to 41."
