Sully H. W. Bush (born July 14, 2016) is a Labrador Retriever employed as a

service dog In general, an assistance dog, known as a service dog in the United States, is a dog trained to aid or assist an individual with a disability. Many are trained by an assistance dog organization, or by their handler, often with the help of a prof ...

for disabled military veterans in the

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. He served with the former

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

George H. W. Bush during the last six months of his life, until the 41st President's death on November 30, 2018. He received international attention for his role during the President's state funeral.

Early life and training

Sully was born in 2016; his mother was Roxanne. Upon leaving his brood, he was trained by the charity America's VetDogs to perform a two-page list of commands, which includes fetching items, answering a telephone, and summoning help in an emergency. He was assigned to assist George H. W. Bush in the summer of 2018 through the dog's participation in a veteran service dog program at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. According to America's VetDogs, Sully was named after former

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

officer and

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pilot Chesley Sullenberger III. Sully received early attention from his own Instagram page covering his life and work with the

Bush family The Bush family is an American dynastic family that is prominent in the fields of American politics, news, sports, entertainment, and business. They were the first family of the United States from 1989 to 1993 and again from 2001 to 2009, and w ...

Death of George H. W. Bush

Following the death of President Bush, Sully accompanied the 41st president's remains to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

for the state funeral. A photo posted to

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by Bush spokesman Jim McGrath showing the dog sleeping next to the coffin containing Bush's remains in Texas attracted more than 230,000 likes in two days. Sully also visited the

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where Bush was lying in state. According to reports, he was to be returned to an America's VetDogs facility in New York during the

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before being placed back into rotation in the service animal program at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Subsequent service

Washington Nationals Visit USO (5314030) (cropped)

In accordance with President Bush's wishes, as of February 2019, Sully joined the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's Facility Dog Program in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

. Following his "Welcome Aboard Ceremony", Sully was given the rank of Hospital Corpsman Second Class (HM2) and has since been promoted to 1st Class (HM1). His trainer, Valerie Cramer, stated that "Sully will visit injured veterans, helping to provide comfort during rehabilitation center sessions and visit with families during what can be an emotional and very difficult time".

Statue

A life-size bronze statue of Sully was commissioned by America's VetDogs. The sculpture, created by Susan Bahary, was unveiled on 2 December, 2019 for the

George Bush Presidential Library and Museum The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and burial site of George H. W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States (1989–1993), and his wife Barbara Bush. Located on a site on the west campus of ...

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

References

{{George H. W. Bush, state=collapsed 2016 animal births Assistance dogs George H. W. Bush Individual animals in the United States Individual dogs

Early life and training

Death of George H. W. Bush

Subsequent service

Statue

See also

References