A dog named Sunny is brightening spirits for people in Connecticut.
An all-school assembly yielded a big surprise for kids at Lillie B. Haynes Elementary School on Wednesday.
"I thought that he was so cute, and it was really exciting,” Crystal Wang, fourth grade, said.
In 2021, the same kids in East Lyme met Sunny when he was just ten weeks-old, after they had raised $3,000 for Forever In My Heart Foundation. It trains service dogs for disabled veterans and people with disabilities.
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The students gave the dog his name.
Sunny, now two years old, has graduated from training. He visited the school with his new partner, New Haven Police Detective Chris Boyle.
“It means a lot to me because he's the first other dog that I've had,” Vivienne Graceson, fourth grade, said.
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There were more wiggles and tail wags from Sunny during another reunion Wednesday with the woman who trained him to be a service dog. She is an inmate at York Correctional Institution.
Forever In My Heart Foundation partners with York, giving inmates the chance to work with puppies and form bonds.
“I love you! You’re so stinking cute and smart," Angelina Jamele, one inmate trainer who has worked with several dogs, told a puppy named Magnum.
The trainers use clickers, treats, and positive reinforcement to help the dogs learn their exercises.
“I couldn't picture myself not working with the dog. It's absolutely changed my life,” Jamele said. “I know that it's making a huge difference out in the world.”
While many dogs that complete the 1,500 hour program help people with disabilities upon graduation, Sunny was sworn in at the New Haven Police Department.
“I feel like he's filling his purpose, and that is to help people,” Jamele said.
Since October, Sunny has been dutifully working alongside Detective Boyle in the Special Victims Unit.
“I can say that he's changed my life,” Detective Boyle told NBC Connecticut. “I hope that he brings that same ease to people when they have to come in and talk about something traumatic that happened to them.
He offers a gentle paw and a sympathetic ear to adult and child victims of sexual abuse.
"Petting Sunny, sitting there with Sunny to kind of ease your mind before you have to talk about something traumatic, I think it's a great way to help bridge that gap.," Detective Boyle said.
Leaving paw prints on hearts for the most vulnerable, when they need it the most.
