George H.W. Bush’s service dog Sully lies by former president’s coffin

December 3, 2018

Touching image of George H.W. Bush’s service dog Sully laying by his coffin is released as Air Force One arrives in Texas to fly him to DC for his state funeral while America begins to say goodbye to 41

This past June, former President George H.W. Bush was given a service dog, Sully, by a nonprofit group which pairs the animals with needy veterans
Sully was photographed lying down mournfully a few feet away from Bush’s coffin in Houston on Sunday
The image emerged just as Air Force One was landing in Houston to transport the coffin to Washington, D.C.
The aircraft will be temporarily renamed and redesignated as ‘Special Air Mission 41’ as it is only referred to as Air Force One whenever the sitting President is on board
Bush, the 41st President, will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for two days before he is flown back to Texas for his funeral on Wednesday
A memorial service is scheduled to take place Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral, where Brian Mulroney, Canada’s former Prime Minister, will reportedly deliver one of the eulogies
George H.W. Bush will join the ranks of former presidents, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower and be taken in a presidential funeral train to his final resting place on Thursday
The sports world paid tribute to Bush on Sunday, with many ice hockey and football matches holding moments of silence for the former president

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A heartbreaking image shows George H.W. Bush’s service dog lying next to the 41st President’s coffin in Houston on Sunday.

The image shows ‘Sully,’ a specially trained golden lab, mournfully lying down as Bush’s flag-draped coffin is seen a few feet from him.

The photo was shared to the dog’s Instagram account Sunday with the caption: ‘Mission complete.’

Sully – named after the heroic pilot who successfully landed a damaged passenger jet on the Hudson River which saved the lives of 155 people in 2009 – was gifted to Bush in June after the passing of former First Lady Barbara Bush.

However his mission isn’t entirely complete, as it’s been reported by CNN that the dog will accompany the casket to Washington, D.C. on Monday.

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A heartbreaking image shows George H.W. Bush’s service dog lying next to the 41st President’s coffin in Houston on Sunday

Bush’s official Twitter account posted an image of Sully and another former President, Bill Clinton, on June 25 after Sully’s arrival. The tweet read: ‘A great joy to welcome home the newest member of our family, “Sully,” a beautiful – and beautifully trained – lab from America’s VetDogs’

Meanwhile, Air Force One arrived in Texas on Sunday to transport Bush’s body to Washington for a state funeral

Bush is remembered before the game between the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Sunday

A moment of silence is observed in the memory of former United States president George H.W. Bush during the NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Supporters of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team pause for a moment of silence in honor of Bush before the Bucs game against the Carolina Panthers in Tampa on Sunday

Bush’s official Twitter account posted an image of Sully and another former President, Bill Clinton, on June 25 after the dog’s arrival at his new home.

The tweet read: ‘A great joy to welcome home the newest member of our family, “Sully,” a beautiful – and beautifully trained – lab from America’s VetDogs.

‘Could not be more grateful, especially for their commitment to our veterans.’

America’s VetDogs is a New York-based nonprofit group which provides service dogs to veterans in need.

After news broke of Bush’s passing on Saturday, America’s VetDogs tweeted a statement, saying: ‘America’s VetDogs is deeply saddened by the loss of President George H.W. Bush.

‘Our condolences go out to the Bush family at this time.’

The tweet was attached to an image showing Bush being pushed in a wheelchair while holding a leash as Sully walks beside him.

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America’s VetDogs told KTRK-TV that Sully will return to its Smithtown, New York headquarters, where he will stay for the holiday season.

He is then expected to be transferred to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center’s Facility Dog Program in Bethesda, where canines help wounded veterans as they undergo physical and occupational therapy.

‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Bush family during this difficult time,’ said John Miller, President and CEO of America’s VetDogs.

‘It was truly an honor to have provided service dog Sully to be by the president’s side for the past several months.

‘As a true patriot and a visionary, President Bush will forever be viewed by people with disabilities and their families as a hero through his efforts to enact the Americans with Disabilities Act.

‘We are forever grateful to his service to the American people.’

Meanwhile, Air Force One arrived in Texas on Sunday to transport Bush’s body to Washington for a state funeral.

Bush spokesman Jim McGrath tweeted a photo of the presidential plane on a tarmac Sunday afternoon. He wrote, ‘Air Force One has arrived in Houston for what will technically be called “Special Air Mission 41” tomorrow and Wednesday.’

George H.W. Bush’s custom train, Bush 4141, will bear the former President’s body to the Texas A&M Presidential Library during funeral services on Wednesday

The train, provided by Union Pacific, was painted to resemble Air Force One. It also bears the seal of the President

George H.W. Bush’s state funeral schedule

Americans will pay homage to their 41st President over the course of the next four days.

On Monday, a departure ceremony will be held at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston at 10.30am Central time.

Bush’s casket will be flown from Houston to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

The plane carrying Bush’s coffin is scheduled to arrive at 3.30pm Eastern time, when a ceremony will be held at Andrews.

From there, the coffin will be taken to the U.S. Capitol.

The casket will lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda beginning Monday at 5pm local time until 10am on Wednesday.

A guard of honor will be in attendance, and the public will be allowed into the Capitol from 7:30pm Monday until 8.45am Wednesday.

At 10am on Wednesday, Bush’s coffin will depart the U.S. Capitol, which will see him off with a ceremony.

The casket will be driven to Washington National Cathedral, where a memorial service is scheduled to begin at 11:00am.

Brian Mulroney, the former Prime Minister of Canada, is one of three people who have been chosen to deliver a eulogy, according to Global News.

After the 90-minute service, Bush’s casket will be taken to Joint Base Andrews. It is scheduled to depart at 1:15pm.

Bush is expected to arrive back at Ellington Field in Houston at 4:30pm Central time.

The former President will lie in repose at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, the site of Barbara Bush’s funeral in April.

On Thursday at 12:30pm Central time, Bush will be taken by locomotive train to Texas A&M University in College Station, home to the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

Bush, a lover of trains, will take his final ride in one that it fitted with a glass viewing car.

He will be buried next to his wife and daughter, Robin, at 4:15pm Central time in College Station.

Bush spokesman Jim McGrath tweeted a photo of the presidential plane on a tarmac Sunday afternoon.

The aircraft will be temporarily renamed and redesignated as ‘Special Air Mission 41’ as it is only referred to as Air Force One whenever the sitting President is on board.

McGrath wrote, ‘Air Force One has arrived in Houston for what will technically be called “Special Air Mission 41” tomorrow and Wednesday.’

He added: ‘A beautiful day In Texas – “ceiling and visibility unlimited,” Mr. President.’

The plane, known as Air Force 747, is only called Air Force One when the president is traveling in it.

The 41st president died late Friday at his Houston home at age 94.

McGrath also tweeted a photo of flowers and a wreath which were left near a statue of Bush at the Houston airport which bears his name.

‘Seen today at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston,’ McGrath tweeted.

‘Nice touch by the team.’

He will be honored during several private and public events in Houston and Washington before he is buried in Texas next to his wife, Barbara, and their young daughter Robin, who died in 1953.

President Donald Trump dispatched Air Force One to Texas to transport Bush’s body – a magnanimous gesture from a man who has historically been at odds with the Bush family.

Trump tweeted on Saturday: ‘President George H.W. Bush led a long, successful and beautiful life.

‘Whenever I was with him I saw his absolute joy for life and true pride in his family.

‘His accomplishments were great from beginning to end. He was a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all!’

Americans will begin saying goodbye to Bush on Monday when his body arrives in Washington for public viewing in the Capitol Rotunda – a rare honor that will be bestowed on a man who earned the respect and admiration of many with his leadership, bravery and grace.

The public viewing will kick off four days of events that will include a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral on Wednesday and a private service at Bush’s longtime church in Houston on Thursday.

The sports world also paid tribute to the 41st President this weekend with many stadiums falling silent to honor the former leader before games commenced.

Major League Baseball’s television network aired a retrospective about Bush’s relationship with the National Pastime.

Case Keenum, the former quarterback for the Houston Texans, tweeted: ‘Two great men who aren’t with us anymore.

‘Thank you George H.W. Bush and Bob McNair for leaving a legacy that changed this country and me forever.

‘Have always been proud to be a Texan.’

McNair, the late owner of the Texans, died November 23 at the age of 81.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH’S SERVICE DOG, SULLY, CAN PERFORM TWO-PAGE LIST OF COMMANDS

Sully is seen above with the former President in this undated image posted on social media

Sully, George H.W. Bush’s yellow Labrador service dog, is not done doing his duty for his country.

The loyal canine, who was photographed mournfully lying beside his friend’s casket in Houston on Sunday, will accompany him on the plane to Washington, D.C., on Monday, CNN is reporting.

Sully was named, appropriately enough, after Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III, the heroic pilot who successfully landed a damaged passenger jet on the Hudson River which saved the lives of 155 people in 2009.

He is a specially trained dog who is capable of following a lengthy list of commands, including answering the phone and fetching items.

‘As one person said, he can do just about anything except make you a martini, but not to worry, he can go get you someone to make you a martini,’ Bush family spokesperson Jim McGrath told CNN.

The Bush family has grown especially close to the dog, as evidenced by an Instagram post by former President George W. Bush.

‘As much as our family is going to miss the dog, we’re comforted to know he’ll bring the same joy to his new home, Walter Reed, that he brought to 41,’ the 43rd President wrote on Instagram.

The post was shared by the dog’s Instagram account, ‘sullyhwbush.’

Sully was given to the elder Bush by America’s VetDogs, a New York-based nonprofit group which provides service dogs to veterans in need.

After news broke of Bush’s passing on Saturday, America’s VetDogs tweeted a statement, saying: ‘America’s VetDogs is deeply saddened by the loss of President George H.W. Bush.

‘Our condolences go out to the Bush family at this time.’

After news broke of Bush’s passing on Saturday, America’s VetDogs tweeted a statement, saying: ‘America’s VetDogs is deeply saddened by the loss of President George H.W. Bush. Our condolences go out to the Bush family at this time.’ The tweet was attached to an image showing Bush being pushed in a wheelchair while holding a leash as Sully walks beside him

Sully (seen above in this undated file photo posted to Instagram) will continue his service to America after the death of the 41st President

America’s VetDogs, an organization which pairs specially trained service dogs with wounded veterans, will return Sully to its Smithtown, New York headquarters, where he will stay for the holiday season

The tweet was attached to an image showing Bush being pushed in a wheelchair while holding a leash as Sully walks beside him.

America’s VetDogs told KTRK-TV that Sully will return to its Smithtown, New York headquarters, where he will stay for the holiday season.

‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Bush family during this difficult time,’ said John Miller, President and CEO of America’s VetDogs.

‘It was truly an honor to have provided service dog Sully to be by the president’s side for the past several months.

‘As a true patriot and a visionary, President Bush will forever be viewed by people with disabilities and their families as a hero through his efforts to enact the Americans with Disabilities Act.

‘We are forever grateful to his service to the American people.’

Bush is honored before the start of the NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday

The New York Rangers and the Winnipeg Jets hold a moment of silence for President George Bush prior to their game at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday

Fans take part in a moment of silence to remember former President George H.W. Bush before the Tennessee Titans game against the New York Jets at Nissan Stadium in Nashville

Bush is honored prior to the start of the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida on Sunday

A tribute to Bush is displayed before the game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Baltimore Ravens in Atlanta on Sunday

A fan holds up a sign for Bush at Oakland Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland on Sunday

Fans at the Oakland Coliseum paid tribute to Bush before the Raiders game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday

Members of the Chiefs are seen above observing a moment of silence before the game against the Raiders in Oakland on Sunday

The Stars and Stripes are flown at half mast in honor of Bush during the game between the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati

A moment of silence is held for former United States President George H.W. Bush before an NHL hockey game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday

Bush is honored before the game between the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday

Bush’s hometown team, the Houston Texans, paid homage to the 41st President before their game at NRG Stadium in Houston against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday

Another Houston sports star, Justin Verlander, paid tribute to Bush, tweeting a photo of the former President when he stood alongside the pitcher before a World Series game last year.

‘RIP,’ the tweet read.

Tilman Fertitta, the owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, tweeted: ‘The Bush family is the most prominent & extraordinary political family in the history of our country.

‘I enjoyed his friendship and admired him as a great leader who truly loved this country.

‘An avid sports fan, Bush was a fixture at all Houston’s sport venues.

‘He will be missed.’

The Houston Astros baseball team’s owner, Jim Crane, released a statement which read: ‘President Bush was a great American who devoted his life to serving his country.

‘He epitomized class and dignity and was a true patriot.

‘The Houston Astros had the great privilege of hosting President Bush and his wife Barbara at Astros games for many years.

‘As loyal fans, they stuck with us through the challenging years and were there to celebrate Houston’s first World Series championship in 2017.

‘Game 5 of last year’s World Series is considered the most memorable and dramatic game in Astros history.

‘What made it even more special was that President George H.W. Bush and his son, President George W. Bush, were on the field that night taking part in the first pitch ceremony.

‘As our nation mourns his passing, our entire Astros organization sends heartfelt condolences to the Bush family. We will greatly miss him.’

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the governing body of college sports, paid tribute to Bush on its Twitter page.

During his college days, Bush was captain of the baseball team.

‘We mourn the loss of former President and Yale baseball captain George H.W. Bush.

‘He received the NCAA’s highest honor in 1986 – the Theodore Roosevelt Award.’

The award handed out each year by the NCAA to a college athlete who went on to become a ‘distinguished citizen of national reputation based on outstanding life achievement.’

The National Hockey League also paid tribute to Bush.

Moments of silence were held at arenas, including Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena and New York’s Madison Square Garden, on Sunday.

A moment of silence was held at NFL stadiums as well before games on Sunday.

Tributes from leaders around the world have been pouring in since his death Friday night.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell called him ‘a perfect American’ for how ‘he served the country in so many capacities.’

‘He never forgot who he was,’ Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Bush’s presidency, told ABC’s This Week on Sunday.

‘He never let it all go to his head. He was a man of great humility.’

Bush will be buried Thursday on the grounds of his presidential library at Texas A&M University.

In Washington, D.C., he will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda from 7:30pm Monday to 8:45am Wednesday.

Trump, who ordered federal offices closed for a national day of mourning on Wednesday, is to attend with First Lady Melania Trump and other high-ranking officials.

James Baker, Bush’s former chief of staff and secretary of state, called his boss’s tenure in office ‘a consequential presidency’ because of his foreign policy achievements.

A makeshift memorial in tribute to former US President George H. W. Bush is seen at the foot of a monument in his honor in Houston on Sunday

A mourner leaves flowers at a makeshift memorial in tribute to former US President George H. W. Bush at a monument in his honor in Houston, Texas, on Sunday

A memorial lays at the base of the statue of George H.W. Bush near downtown in Houston, Texas, Sunday

McGrath also tweeted a photo of flowers and a wreath which were left near a statue of Bush at the Houston airport which bears his name. ‘Seen today at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston,’ McGrath tweeted. ‘Nice touch by the team’

At the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., joint service members were seen on Sunday rehearsing Bush’s arrival

‘Yes, he’s a one-term president … but he is going to be and was a very consequential one-term president. And I would argue far and away the best one-term president we’ve ever had,’ Baker told ABC’s This Week.

Bush’s crowning achievement as president was assembling the international military coalition that liberated the tiny, oil-rich nation of Kuwait from invading Iraq in 1991 in a war that lasted just 100 hours.

He also presided over the end of the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union.

At the Group of 20 summit in Argentina, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was raised in East Germany, told reporters she likely would never have become her country’s leader had Bush not pressed for the nation’s reunification in 1990.

A humble hero of World War II, Bush was just 20 when he survived being shot down during a bombing run over Japan.

He enlisted in the Navy on his 18th birthday.

Shortly before leaving the service, he married his 19-year-old sweetheart, Barbara Pierce, in a union that lasted until her death earlier this year.

‘He knew what combat was all about,’ Powell said on This Week.

”He knew that combat meant the death of people, people on your side and people on the other side. And so he wanted to avoid a war.’

Bush turned his attention to politics in the 1960s, being elected to his first of two terms in Congress in 1967.

He would go on to serve as ambassador to the United Nations and China, head of the CIA and chairman of the Republican National Committee before being elected to two terms as Ronald Reagan’s vice president.

Soon after he reached the zenith of his political popularity following the liberation of Kuwait, the U.S. economy began to sour and voters began to believe that Bush, never a great orator, was out of touch with ordinary people.

He lost his bid for re-election to then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, who would later become a close friend.

It wasn’t only former political rivals Bush found easy to befriend.

Roberto Molina, whose family owns Molina’s Cantina, one of Bush’s favorite Tex-Mex restaurants in Houston, said he remembers Bush’s kindness to his staff whenever he would stop by to eat.

‘No matter which party you’re affiliated with, everybody seemed to say the same things about President Bush,’ Molina said.

‘He was a down-to-earth person, approachable, and just a good man.’

Tiffany Utterson, right, and her children, from left to right, Ella, 11, Ian, 10 and Owen, 8, place a wreath outside the gated community entrance to the home of George H.W. Bush in Houston on Sunday

A makeshift memorial is shown outside the gated community entrance to Bush’s home in Houston on Sunday

A painted portrait of Bush painted by his son, former President George W. Bush, and a memorial wreath grace the atrium area of his son’s George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in University Park, Texas

A museum guest at George W. Bush’s Presidential Library and Museum views photos of the 41st and 43rd Presidents on Sunday

Museum guests wrote messages of condolence to the Bush family on Sunday

In this Oct. 21, 2017, file photo, former Presidents from right, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter gather on stage at the opening of a hurricanes relief concert in College Station, Texas

In this Jan. 1, 1993, file photo, then-President Bush holds a camera at arm’s length for a selfie with Marines at Baidoa’s airport in Baidoa, Somalia

In this July 15, 2013, file photo, President Barack Obama, right, with former President George H. W. Bush, left, present the 5,000th Daily Point of Light Award to Floyd Hammer and Kathy Hamilton, center, from Union, Iowa, in the East Room of the White House in Washington

Bush will join the ranks of Abraham Lincoln and FDR as his coffin is transported across Texas aboard a custom-built TRAIN embossed with 4141 following DC service

George H.W. Bush will join the ranks of former presidents, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower and be taken in a presidential funeral train to his final resting place on Thursday.

The 70 mile rail journey will be the final mode of transport in an elaborate week long ceremony planned with military procession and involving the Air Force’s flagship jet, Air Force One, which arrived in Houston Sunday and will fly Bush’s body to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Monday morning.

The locomotive chosen for his final journey, to the site of his presidential library at Texas A&M University, was tailored made in Bush’s honor in 2005 and the president marveled over the train as it was unveiled to him in October of that year.

On that October day in 2005, the former president looked excited and smiled and said the word ‘wow’ as the locomotive was shown to him for the first time, according to the Star Tribune.

The Union Pacific locomotive, painted the same blue colors that adorned Air Force One during Bush’s presidency, stands nearly 16 feet tall and bears the number 4141 in honor of the 41st president.

Bush was said to be fascinated by the train’s mechanics and asked whether he could take it for a spin.

He was allowed to so do, after some brief training, and operated the locomotive for a couple of miles under the supervision of an engineer.

Bush had shown a passion for trains since he was a boy and enjoyed childhood travels with his family.

‘We just rode on the railroads all the time, and I’ve never forgotten it,’ the AP quoted Bush as saying at the time.

The train bears the number 4141 in Bush’s honor. The train will escort the 41st president to his final resting place on the site of his presidential library on Thursday. Train is seen above Sunday being prepared

After some brief training Bush operated the locomotive for a couple of miles under the supervision of an engineer

The route that the train will take beginning at Spring and ending at College Station.

‘It’s an opportunity for a large swath of the population to pay their final respects to someone who has done so much for our country,’ Scott Moore, a Union Pacific senior vice president, said in a press release Saturday about the plans for Bush’s funeral week. ‘Having a train like this pulled by a locomotive specifically about this man is just really unprecedented.’

The route, as outlined by Union Pacific Railroad, will pass through Hufsmith, Pinehurst, Magnolia, Todd Mission, Stoneham, Navasota, Millican and Wellborn.

The locomotive, which can travel up to 70 mph, will move slower than usual track speed and will not make any stops along the way.

The train ride will be the culmination of a long list of ceremonies honoring the life of the 41st president, who died Friday, aged 94.

Funeral proceedings begin at 9:45 a.m. on Monday with a departure ceremony from the George H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home on Bering to Ellington Field.

Around 10:30 a.m., there will be another departure ceremony at Ellington Field.

The former president’s remains will then be flown in Air Force One to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, with an arrival ceremony to be held Monday afternoon.

Bush will be taken to the U.S. Capitol where he will lie in state in the rotunda with a guard of honor in attendance.

He is expected to arrive at the Capitol building at 5:00 pm on Monday. The public will be welcome to pay their respects from 7:30 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday.

Bush (pictured in the cab of the Union Pacific Locomotive 4141 was said to be fascinated by the train’s mechanics and asked whether he could take it for a spin. The answer was yes

At the Capitol, Bush’s remains will lie on a wooden structure that was constructed for Abraham Lincoln to lie in state after his assassination in 1865.

The casket will be guarded at each of its corners by a serviceperson, one from each of the branches of the armed forces.

A state funeral will be held on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Washington National Cathedral. Trump and first lady Melania will attend.

Afterward, Bush will be flown back to Houston to lie in repose at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church before a service there at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Following the funeral service the train is scheduled to depart at 1 p.m. from the Union Pacific Railroad Westfield Auto Facility. It will be closed to the public.

Texas A&M University said Saturday that the president’s casket would be unloaded at a railroad stop near campus. The funeral procession will then travel down George Bush Drive, with a brief arrival ceremony followed by a private interment. The campus will be closed Thursday.

Bush will be interned next to his wife and daughter Robin at 4:15 p.m.

The former president passed away Friday at the age of 94, surrounded by family members at his home in Houston, Texas.

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