# Why God made Golden Retrievers (re: Sandy Hook) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 17, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373 "2012-12-17T23:43:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/1 "2012-12-17T23:43:55Z")
[Golden retrievers sent to comfort Newtown survivors](http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/golden-retrievers-sent-comfort-newtown-survivors-220213316.html) > [@](#): > > A Lutheran charity group has sent about 10 golden retrievers to comfort the survivors of Friday’s mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Judging by the reader comments there, many people agree. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/2 "2012-12-18T00:57:31Z")
Frankly, I can’t decide whether I find this heartwarming or sickening. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/3 "2012-12-18T01:25:35Z")
Why did they say “about 10 dogs?” Can’t they count how many dogs there are? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/4 "2012-12-18T01:44:45Z")
Our neighbor had serious health problems - bad hip, lots of pain, befuddlement. We’ve brought our golden over to her, and it helps a lot. It helps that our golden loves her more than just about anybody. So, this makes perfect sense to me. Unless Lutheran Goldens are a bit more standoffish, of course. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/5 "2012-12-18T01:54:43Z")
My dog is a golden and we’re Lutheran. She IS a bit of a bitch. Pretty girls, yaknow? But she is soft and loves love and looks into your eyes and has a good sense of human emotions so yeah - 10 of her would be great in a crisis. Well done, all. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/6 "2012-12-18T02:03:25Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Frankly, I can’t decide whether I find this heartwarming or sickening. ☹ Why? ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/7 "2012-12-18T02:04:46Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Why did they say “about 10 dogs?” > > Can’t they count how many dogs there are? Maybe they just weren’t sure how many were going yet? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/8 "2012-12-18T07:28:21Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Why did they say “about 10 dogs?” > > Can’t they count how many dogs there are? It’s probably one of those optimal packing problems. Assume spherical dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/9 "2012-12-18T08:02:12Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Why did they say “about 10 dogs?” > > Can’t they count how many dogs there are? My golden sheds enough fur every day to make another dog. With 10 they might have thought another was hiding in the pile of hair. Plus visibility might suffer when enough hair is blown around by wagging tails. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/10 "2012-12-18T13:18:17Z")
One of the comments on that link suggests that, in addition to “comfort dogs,” we need to establish a team of “guilt cats.” Guilt cats would be sent to people we suspect are guilty of something. Instead of snuggling, they would just sit there glaring at the person, as if to say, “I know what you did.” ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/11 "2012-12-18T13:57:39Z")
Love it **Sailboat** ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/12 "2012-12-18T15:30:58Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Frankly, I can’t decide whether I find this heartwarming or sickening. ☹ (What’s sickening about a traumatized kid getting to hug a trained sweetie of a dog?) Kudos, **Mangetout.** That was good! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/13 "2012-12-18T18:23:02Z")
If they were Lutheran dogs, did they bring hotdish? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/14 "2012-12-18T18:43:05Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > If they were Lutheran dogs, did they bring hotdish? 🙂 Dammit, beaten to the punch. But seriously, what happens when the dogs leave? I assume these are not permanent adoptions and the last thing some of these kids need is losing something else they love. (I can see somebody loving one of these dogs completely in about ten seconds.) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/15 "2012-12-18T18:51:56Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It’s probably one of those optimal packing problems. Assume spherical dogs. No, we should assume cubical dogs. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/16 "2012-12-18T19:13:38Z")
> [@howye](#): > > But seriously, what happens when the dogs leave? I assume these are not permanent adoptions and the last thing some of these kids need is losing something else they love. (I can see somebody loving one of these dogs completely in about ten seconds.) Nobody’s adopting or fostering anything, or even taking any pets home. The dogs and people will all go meet at a place and the dogs and people will talk and pray and hug for a bit of momentary relief, and then everyone will go home, dogless. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/17 "2012-12-18T19:16:33Z")
> [@howye](#): > > Dammit, beaten to the punch. > > But seriously, what happens when the dogs leave? I assume these are not permanent adoptions and the last thing some of these kids need is losing something else they love. (I can see somebody loving one of these dogs completely in about ten seconds.) And the rage will grow … slowly … step by step … and the target practice will begin … ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/18 "2012-12-18T19:19:15Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > No, we should assume cubical dogs. Cubicle dogs distract the IT guys. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/19 "2012-12-18T19:23:51Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Why did they say “about 10 dogs?” > > Can’t they count how many dogs there are? You ever try counting a roomfull of Goldens? I know, I know…just count the tails and divide by one. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373/20 "2012-12-18T19:38:40Z")
The original [Bubbadog](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=512282&highlight=Bubbadog+dead) was a Golden Retriever and my SDMB namesake. Like many Goldens he was empathetic to the point of being almost creepy about it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-made-golden-retrievers-re-sandy-hook/644373.md?page=2)