George H.W. Bush's service dog Sully pictured keeping watch over his coffin

On Saturday, former US president George HW Bush passed away aged 94.

The elder of the two Bush presidents left behind a complicated legacy, yet he still received thoughtful tributes from the likes of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

On Monday, Bush's post-White House spokesperson Jim McGrath shared an image of Sully, the president's service dog next to his casket and it is heart wrenching, to say the least.

Sully was only assigned to Bush in June to help him with his various activities throughout the day and judging by social media posts he quickly became a beloved part of the family and was even rechristened Sully HW Bush on Instagram.

The specially trained 2-year-old dog was given to Bush by the charity America's VetDogs. Following Bush's death, John Miller said that it was an honour to have provided such a loyal dog to the family.

Speaking to Huffington Post, Miller said:

Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Bush family during this difficult time. 

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

As a true patriot and 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.

Sully will now return to the organisations HQ in Smithtown, New York for the Christmas period.

From there he will join the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre Facility Dog Program where he will work with other dogs to provide assistance to wounded and active soldiers during their recovery process.

Reactions to Sully next to Bush's casket have begun to flood in and they all express the same sentiment.

HT Huffington Post

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