The city of Dayton and the country are still grappling with the tragedy that occurred on Sunday after a gunman opened fire inside a downtown entertainment district killing 9 people.
An organization in Toledo is helping the community to cope with the tragedy in a form that's least expected: Comfort dogs.
Anna is one of several comfort dogs from across the country that is travelling to to Dayton to offer comfort and support. Anna is owned by Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Toledo. Her handler, Nancy Borders, traveled with Anna to Dayton on Thursday. The dogs are there to offer comfort as the city continues to heal from the mass shooting.
"One of the things that we're trying to do here with these dogs is to bring some light into the darkness that they're feeling right now about this area. Hopefully, they will remember being with the dogs than being as focused on the shootings," said Borders.
The dogs are visiting hospitals, businesses and homeless shelters in Dayton. They're trained to interact with people of all ages who are suffering and in need. The dogs are dispatched in times of disaster and crisis to bring comfort to anyone that needs it.
This isn't the first time Anna has been deployed to areas of tragedy. She provided comfort to people after mass shootings in Las Vegas and in Parkland, Florida.
Here in Toledo, Anna visits schools and hospitals to comfort people there.