Sully, a yellow Labrador, became known to the wider public as the picture of him resting beside the late President’s coffin captured many hearts around the country.
This was Sully’s one last goodbye and a moving tribute to his beloved owner, and yet another proof of the dog’s loyalty to humans. It really makes you think… What did we do to deserve dogs?
But, Sully, the dog, was much more than a simple pet to a former President of the United States.
His role in life is to be of service to others, and he continues to do that despite his owner passing away.
America’s Favorite Service Dog
This beautiful dog became a part of the Bush family in the summer of 2018. Sully was trained by the charity, America’s VetDogs… a nonprofit organization that provides service dogs free of charge to veterans, first responders, and active-duty service members.
Sully is an exceptional dog that was trained to perform a two-page list of commands that include anything from fetching items, answering a telephone, or summoning help in an emergency.
Bush spokesman, Jim McGrath, commented: “As one person said, he can do just about anything except make you a martini, but not to worry… he can go get you someone to make you a martini!”, which just proves how incredible this dog actually is.
According to the charity, Sully was named after former U.S. Air Force and U.S. Airways Pilot, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III, who is best known for the act of heroism and landing his plane in the Hudson River in 2009. [1]
Sully was appointed by the former President to help him around the house since he was recovering from hospitalization that left him in need of a wheelchair and an electric scooter.
Sully’s job was to assist the 41st President in many tasks, but most importantly, to be a great companion to the President after the loss of his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush.
“Not only is he good at retrieving things, he helped the President by opening doors, knew when to get assistance from someone else, and knew when Bush needed comfort, so he would place his head on his lap”, said Brad Hibbard, chief program officer at Guide Dog Foundation.
During the last six months of the President’s life, Sully and he were inseparable. This dog did his service proudly and respectfully till the end. The 41st President of the United States died on November 30, 2018. [2]
What really made everyone fall in love with this furry soul was a photograph shared by Jim McGrath with the caption: “Mission complete.”
In this photograph, Sully can be seen lying next to Bush’s casket, accompanying his master to his final resting place.
Ahead of Veterans Day, this hero service dog was honored with a statue.
This bronze, life-sized statue is a symbol of Sully’s unwavering service to his best friend, and also a symbol of all the incredible service dogs out there that help individuals with disabilities.
This beautiful statue is the work of the internationally renowned sculptor, Susan Bahary.
“I witnessed firsthand the care and the companionship Sully gave our precious grandfather. It was at the time he needed it the most. Sully never left his side… together, they shared a life of service”, said Jenna Bush Hager, Bush’s granddaughter, for TODAY.
Continuing With The Service
The spokeswoman of America’s VetDogs said: “When we first spoke to President Bush, one of his big concerns was that he was taking a dog away from another veteran.”
She said next: “The thing that we had all arranged prior to Sully even going to the President was that Sully would continue to work with veterans forever.”
As of February 2019, in accordance with the late President’s wishes, Sully started a new job with the U.S. Navy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
In a touching ceremony, Sully was appointed to the rank of hospital corpsman first class. His duties are to reduce stress and increase well-being among patients, staff, and families.
Sully’s personalized oath of enlistment stated: “Do you affirm or pant as a hospital corpsman in the United States Navy that you will support, comfort, and cure warriors and their families, active duty and retired?”
“That you embrace our staff and bear unconditional love and solace, especially on busy days? That you take this obligation freely, without any promise of treats or tummy rubs, and that you will faithfully discharge the duties to provide joy, love, and nurturing for our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and sailors and their families?”
Sully then received a new military uniform, which is a part of the center’s dog team.
Thank You For The Countless Smiles
Besides helping many injured veterans and providing comfort to those who desperately need it, Sully is quite a celebrity as well.
He developed a huge following on his personal Instagram account @sullyhwbush, where he continues to bring smiles to people all over the world with his adorable photographs and videos.
Pogledajte ovu objavu na Instagramu.
He currently has about 245K followers, which only proves how many people love this incredible doggo.
President Bush once said: “There could be no definition of a successful life that does not include service to others.”
Sully has devoted his whole life to serving and helping others, and he should be an inspiration to us all… always happy to lend a paw with a huge smile on his face.
I truly hope you have the best life, Sully, filled with lots of yummy treatos, belly rubs, pets, and unconditional love because you deserve it all. Thank you for your service, wonderful doggie.
References:
[1] Tikkanen, A. (2016, December 6). US Airways flight 1549 | Description, Pilot, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/US-Airways-Flight-1549-incident
[2] Tumulty, K. (2018, December 1). George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United States, dies at 94. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/george-hw-bush-41st-president-of-the-united-states-dies-at-94/2018/11/30/42fa2ea2-61e2-11e8-99d2-0d678ec08c2f_story.html
