The value of pets is never questioned by animal lovers, but more and more studies have come out showing the therapeutic benefits of animals. Owning a pet has been shown to reduce stress and lower blood pressure, and interactions with animals have been linked to reduced PTSD symptoms. Now, emotional support animals have found another place they are needed: funerals.
Lulu, a goldendoodle, provides support to mourners at the Ballard-Durand funeral home in White Plains, N.Y. Sandy Del Duca was there mourning the death of her father when she met Lulu. "That dog looked into my eyes and I was done," Del Duca said, according to Fox News. "She seemed to know just what I needed. A funeral is a funeral, it's not a great thing. But that dog gave the service a family atmosphere and made it more of a celebration."
Funeral directors, like Matthew Fiorillo, say dogs - particularly trained therapy animals - seem to know who needs their help.
"In a funeral home, people are typically on edge, uncomfortable. But everyone lights up, everyone has to greet the dog," Mark Krause, owner and president of Krause Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Milwaukee, Wis., said.
Oliver, a Portuguese water dog was introduced to the Krause's as the family pet in 2001. Krause's wife had Oliver trained as a therapy dog, and as Oliver made the usual rounds to schools and nursing homes, Krause's wife had an idea. "Then my wife said, 'Why can't he do this in the funeral home?' and in the 10-plus years we had him, he probably touched a couple thousand families," Krause said. Oliver seemed to "sense grief and who needed him."
One little boy who needed him was a 7-year-old who lost his 3-year-old sister. The little boy stopped talking to everyone - including his parents. "The minute the dog came in, the boy started talking to him about his sister," Krause said, according to Fox News. "This little boy tells the dog, 'I don't know why everyone's so upset, my sister said she's fine where she is.'"
"I don't suppose Oliver understood, but he looked at the boy as if he did," Krause added.
Jessica Koth, spokeswoman for the National Funeral Directors Association, doesn't think the therapy animal should be limited to a dog. "We hear from members that more and more of them are bringing animals into funeral homes, be it a dog or a cat, whether it's a certified therapy dog or just an extremely well-behaved family pet."
Krause and Fiorillo haven't warmed to the idea of a funeral cat,.
"Dogs are the only creature that love you more than they love themselves," Krause said. "Cats tend to lurk. They could surprise people."
Fiorillo added, "I've never seen a gregarious cat."
