Support Animals The effect of having Willow around, she said, can be dramatic. “It’s a lot like having a baby in the room. It kind of lightens the mood. There are a lot of studies and research that show that interaction with an animal – even just petting them – is great for the chemicals in the brain … and the release of serotonin.” For his part, Willow shows little interest in the research. “I’m pretty sure he has just decided that it is his job to walk around the room and get love from anybody,” said Hawkins. At Lakeside Memorial, Willow joined the team not long after the funeral of a young canine patrol officer whose death during a training exercise in 2017 was mourned by the entire community and whose memorial services were attended by more than 80 trained therapy dogs provided through the Erie County SPCA’s “Paws for Love” program. At the same time, other funeral homes and their clients were discovering the powerful solace such dogs provided in helping families get through the process of funeral planning. The Evan J. Strong Funeral Home in Calgary was one of them. Around 2018, the staff decided to give it a try and Molly, a friendly and fluffy bernedoodle, joined the team. Unlike most therapy dogs, Molly didn’t have any special training but she turned out to be a natural. “She just had that personality and disposition. She was very gentle and understanding with families,” said the home’s founder Evan Strong, who is also the current OGR president. “We had done enough research to know that dogs were a benefit and helped to calm people and get them through the difficult task of arranging a loved one’s funeral,” Strong recalled. Last December, Molly died after a short illness, leaving the team with its own loss to mourn. “She was a member of our own family,” he said. 20 www.ogr.org | Summer 2021 Candace Hawkins with Willow at Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home in West Seneca, N.Y. (photo courtesy Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home) “She was much loved.” And remembered. Molly was honored with a video tribute on the company’s website. Your Real Source. Anywhere. Anytime. As a part of our families, dogs have also earned a place of their own in our rituals of grieving. It’s not unusual, in fact, to see dogs listed among the survivors in their owners’ obituaries. Or garnering full-fledged obituaries of their own. Some dogs, it seems, even have a way of easing their owners’ grief posthumously. Susan Dice, director of customer care at Thumbies, a maker of jewelry and keepsakes that memorialize pets as well as human loved ones, says the company’s nose print pendants, rings and other items evoke the memories of that little wet-nosed nudge that dogs use to cheer us up or finagle a treat, but still, “It does give you some peace,” Dice said. Find exactly what you’re looking for!
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