Newtown To Thank Perry Hall Therapy Pets, Volunteers

Vicki Rummel, of Pets on Wheels, remembers watching a young firefighter sobbing into the fur of her Golden Retriever Jillian, who she had taken to Newton, CT in wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre.

"The poor guy was 23 years old," Rummel said.

The young firefighter was one of the first inside the school after a disturbed gunman opened fire, killing six adults and 20 children, before taking his own life.

The young firefighter told Rummel that when he entered the school he found a small girl badly injured.

"[But] all he could do was hold her until she died," Rummel said.

Pets on Wheels, which sends pets and their owners to hospitals and nursing homes to comfort the sick, is one of the groups that will be honored in a ceremony scheduled for Saturday on the Fairfield Hills Campus. 

Rummel and a band of 20 volunteers and therapy dogs drove to Newtown a week after the shooting to provide comfort to a grieving community.

"We knew that we had to go," Rummel said.

Read: Pets on Wheels Hopes To Help Grieving Newtown

But the impact of the tragedy at Sandy Hook was unlike anything Rummel had seen before as she and the other volunteers took their dogs to visit classrooms at the elementary, middle and high schools.

"It was surreal," she said, "until you get there and it smacks you in the face. … People were on the ground crying with our dogs."

Upon their return, the Pets on Wheels volunteers posted their stories of Newtown online. Read the Newtown volunteers' stories here. 

The following is an excerpt from a volunteer named Dan'a:

Dakota poked her head through the front seats of the car, standing tall and brave, as if guiding us safely to our destination.

I felt my chest grow heavy at the exit for Sandy Hook, the sign adorned with a wreath. The memorials grew as we made our way into the town. Still pouring rain, people in the town were strolling about under ponchos and tents. It was an overwhelming feeling—but we were there at last.

We arrived at the Town Hall as the bells chime. Pets on Wheels descended into the town, our little army of blue, and despite the despair, smiles began to shine through beneath the tears as people saw the dogs. I heard people say “Oh, wow. This is great. This is just great.”

Shortly after, I hear that a woman had arrived at the Town Hall exclaiming “I’ve been looking for you guys everywhere! “and we began our journey to a local elementary school. An unfamiliar face boarded the bus. Holding back her tears she began by saying how thankful she was that we were there and that we had no idea how much these kids needed us. Despite what she had been through in the past week, she scrounged up every little treat she could find at the school brandishing a jar of homemade mustard, candy, and some treats for the dogs.

>>> Keep up with all Perry Hall, White Marsh and Kingsville news by following us on Twitter and Facebook and by signing up for the daily newsletter.