Funeral professionals know how to console grieving families; it’s part of the job description. And at Vernon’s Pleasant Valley Funeral Home, one of those skilled professionals is a four-legged friend named Odie.
The gentle 10-year-old Chiweenie, greets families with a wagging tail when they come through the doors of the funeral home, and offers comforting snuggles to grief-stricken individuals while they make emotionally taxing arrangements for a loved one’s memorial.
Odie is believed to be the only funeral home grief support dog in the area, and he’s well suited for the role.
His owner, funeral director Renee Wohl, started working at the Pleasant Valley Home just over a year ago, and Odie became a fixture of their support staff a few months later. He now “works” full-time at the funeral home, and is paid in treats at the end of his shift.
Wohl says Odie wasn’t trained to be a grief support dog, but his personality — mixed with a touch of separation anxiety that predisposes him to snuggle up next to clients — has made him a perfect addition to the team.
Odie can sense when a person is grieving, and gravitates towards them, according to Wohl.
“He seems to know that they need a little love,” she said. “We always ask initially if they’re OK with pets, and if they take to him, he joins us in the arrangement room and just sits there by their side. Or if welcomed, he’ll hop up on their lap, too.”
The funeral home is located next to the Pleasant Valley Cemetery, a popular spot for dog-walking. The funeral home became a dog-friendly space after dog walkers started dropping by. Outside the front door is a bowl of water that is well used by the four-legged friends going for a walk. That dog-friendly environment is part of what encouraged Wohl to bring Odie into the office and become a part of the team.
With a bow tie around his neck, Odie looks the part of a funeral support worker.
It’s not just grieving families that Odie supports; staff at the funeral home also need emotional support from time to time as they deal with grief on a daily basis, and Odie is a comfort to the whole team.
And the affection is mutually beneficial; studies have shown that just petting a dog reduces the stress hormone, cortisol, and boosts the feel-good hormone, oxytocin — the same hormone that bonds mothers to babies.
“He loves being around people and loves pets, and I think he benefits from it, too,” said Wohl.
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