Good Samaritans Lend Helping Hand…And Paw 

Release Date: April 25, 2006
Release Number: 1604-335

» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina

BILOXI, Miss. -- Chaplain Ralph Buchhorn watches his partner Georgie make her way around the room. She stops for a hug or offers an ear to people who want to share their story. For some, she merely rests her head at their feet for comfort.

“Georgie is a very special animal,” says Buchhorn, Georgie’s owner and trainer. “Just like me, she uses her ministry to reach those in need. She is a K-9 chaplain.”

Georgie is a specially trained golden Labrador retriever and member of the Animal Assisted Crisis Response (AACR) team. Georgie, Buchhorn and other members of the Extra Mile Disaster Response ministry have visited the Gulf Coast six times in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Georgie has accompanied Buchhorn to schools, shelters, medical clinics and FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC).

Buchhorn founded the Extra Mile ministry and the AACR team after the terrorists’ attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Buchhorn understands the potential of his ministry for Mississippi residents and disaster workers alike. “This Katrina experience is so unreal for a lot people,” says Buchhorn. “Petting the dog gives people a little bit of grounding, a little bit of reality. Maybe just for a moment, people feel safe. Spending time with Georgie might help workers too; let them take a deep breath before helping the next person.”

Having worked as a chaplain for the FBI in San Diego, Calif. for nearly 20 years, Buchhorn has firsthand knowledge of job-related stress and the importance of having a coping mechanism for workers who must provide help to those who need it most.

“You can just see the difference in people’s faces whenever Georgie comes in the room,” says Gulfport DRC manager Johnny Spickers. “She just has a way with folks; they light up when she’s around.”

Chaplain Buchhorn describes Georgie’s unique ministry as a way for Mississippians who have lost their animal loved ones following Katrina to express their grief and find some way to heal.

“We met a woman in a shelter who just petted Georgie for a long time,” says Buchhorn. “She didn’t say much for awhile until she finally looked at me and said, ‘it’s been five months and I can’t find my dog.’ Georgie acted as a transitional object for this lady who missed her friend.”

Georgie has been trained in a rigorous program that tested her general obedience as well as her capacity to deal with unpredictable situations and people. She has been awarded the “Canine Good Citizen” award and passed the California Therapy Certification Test. She received instruction through the Noah's Ark Foundation, an organization specializing in training golden retrievers serving the special needs community.

Aside from visiting and ministering to Gulf Coast communities, Buchhorn also conducts crisis management workshops for pastors and church organizations. When volunteers expressed concern to him about responding to the Mississippians they were here to help, Buchhorn organized a training he describes as “what to say, what not to say, when to pray, when not to pray.” During his next visit, he plans to teach a “survivor guilt” workshop.

The stories of many Gulf Coast residents have had a life-altering impact on the ministering duo. One survivor affectionately known as “Old Man Percy” from the Point Cadet neighborhood in Biloxi received a travel trailer from FEMA. Buchhorn and Georgie visit Percy every time they return to the Gulf Coast. During their last visit, Percy kept repeating “575 Biloxi, Mississippi” as he petted Georgie.

“I finally asked him what he meant and he said ‘that’s my P.O. box. You make sure you send me my pictures of me and Georgie,’” relates Buchhorn. “Here is a man who lost everything in the world. The fact that he wants pictures of him with Georgie speaks volumes.”

Buchhorn’s Extra Mile ministry is centered on a Bible verse that charges people to extend themselves beyond what is expected to help those in need.

“If someone asks you to go one mile, you go two,” says Buchhorn. “When people don’t know what to do, they do nothing. I am bound and determined to give people help and equip them so they will know what to do and they can go the extra mile to help.”

Buchhorn plans to return to the Gulf Coast every month to continue his efforts. Georgie turns three this year and while the extra mile may seem like a big burden for such small shoulders, she makes it look effortless.

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FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 25-Apr-2006 15:03:20