Sully, George H.W. Bush’s service dog, gets a new assignment

A canine who recently charmed the world and mesmerized the media has a new calling.

That would be Sully, the calm and faithful service dog who accompanied the late George H.W. Bush during his final days, never leaving his side. A photo of the yellow Labrador retriever at vigil before the 41st president’s casket was seen by millions of people, accompanied by the caption “Mission complete.”

But Sully is not ready to retire. The Defense Department has announced that Sully has a new assignment.

“Already famous in his own right — his Instagram account, @sullyhwbush, has more than 260,000 followers — Sully will go on to join the therapeutic dog team at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland after the holidays, where he will provide stress relief and comfort to service members going through physical and occupational therapy,” the department said.

Sully was trained by America’s VetDogs, a nonprofit organization in New York, one of a number of canine training programs funded through the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program.