Photo of George HW Bush’s Service Dog Sully Laying by Coffin Is Released: ‘Mission Complete’

A photo shows former President George H.W. Bush’s service dog lying next to his coffin in Houston, Texas, on Dec. 2

The dog, “Sully,” a specially trained Golden Labrador Retriever, is seen next to the 41st president’s flag-draped coffin. The photo was shared on George W. Bush’s Instagram page. A family spokesman also said, “Mission complete.”

The dog was named after the pilot who landed a damaged passenger plane on the Hudson River in New York City in the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson” incident. Sully will accompany Bush’s casket on its flight to Washington on Dec. 3.

The dog, which is highly trained, will help other veterans and is going to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, according to CNN.

“As much as our family is going to miss this dog, we’re comforted to know he'll bring the same joy to his new home, Walter Reed, that he brought to 41,” former President George W. Bush wrote on Instagram.

The report noted that Sully can perform a number of commands, including answering the phone and fetching specific 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 spokesman Jim McGrath said in June.

Visitors sign a guest book at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Center in College Station, Tex., on Dec. 1, 2018. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Sully worked for Bush over the summer after former First Lady Barbara Bush died.

“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,” Bush said on Twitter about the dog in June.

Details of Death, Service

In Texas, students, staff and visitors have been flocking to Bush’s presidential library on the campus of Texas A&M University, with thousands of mourners paying their respects at a weekend candlelight vigil at a nearby pond and others contributing to growing flower memorials at Bush statues at both the library and a park in downtown Houston.

“I think he was one of the kindest, most generous men,” said Marge Frazier, who visited the downtown statue on Sunday while showing friends from California around. A similar outpouring is anticipated in Washington this week during the state funeral for Bush, who died late Friday at his home in Houston.

He was 94. Bush, who was president from 1989 to 1993, will lie in state beneath the soaring U.S. Capitol rotunda for a ceremony and public visitation from Monday through Wednesday. An invitation-only funeral service is set for Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are scheduled to attend. Bush’s family has not said who will speak at the service.

Bush’s casket is set to arrive in Washington on Monday afternoon aboard the U.S. military airplane that’s more commonly recognized as Air Force One. The crew has been tasked by President Trump with carrying out “Special Air Mission 41.” The number is a reference to Bush’s place in the roster of America’s presidents.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.