Local News

Meet Sully: Former President George H.W. Bush Gets a Service Dog

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Introducing a new member to his family, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush is getting a yellow Labrador retriever named “Sully” as a service dog and companion.

The 94-year-old Texas resident and former American leader got acquainted with his service dog on Monday, June 25, at the Bush compound in Maine. Evan Sisley, a Bush aide, told the press that the pair got along swimmingly, advising that the dog can pick up items, open doors, and call for help, if needed.

Sully was trained by an organization called America’s VetDogs, which is a non-profit dealing in the provision of service dogs of this nature. Above and beyond his official duties, the Labrador retriever will be fulfilling the role of companion to the nonagenarian. A favored breed for disability assistance, the Labrador retriever have been known to assist the blind and those with autism. They are great sports and hunting dogs and have assisted in screening and detection work with law enforcement agencies.

Having lost his wife earlier this year and having gone through a variety of health concerns himself in the past several months, Bush can make can most definitely use this four-legged companion. Sully appears to be fitting in quite nicely with the political who’s who. He already has his own Instagram page! Bush is known as a dog lover, and, since a service dog’s training in quite substantive, the pair should be well-suited to one another.