Man’s Best Friend and their “grief” and “grit”

March 26, 2026/Business, Regulations/

Statue of Balto
Central Park – New York City

Today’s edition of Funeral Director Daily will be a little different and I hope you enjoy it. It’s not about the business of Death Care, although, you might find reason to believe that “Therapy Dogs”, that are now making their way into the business of the funeral home, have merit after reading today’s edition.

The idea for today’s article came when Angie and I decided to go to “Church in the Park” in our winter rental home community of Naples, Florida, one Sunday instead of attending our normal church. Turns out that the Sunday we decided to go to this service was their “Bless the Animals” Sunday.

While we were at this church service we were reminded through the sermon of United States Navy Seal Jon Tumilson and his dog Hawkeye. Tumilson was killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan in 2011 and his casketed services were held in his former high school in Iowa shortly thereafter. As you may remember, Hawkeye, unprompted, moved to the casket and layed still by it for the entirety of the funeral.

The following is a short news clip from that time that shows Hawkeye at his master’s casket:

Related — Here’s an archived article from the Dubuque Telegraph Herald noting the completion and dedication (with photo) of a statue of Tumilson and Hawkeye that the community of Rockford, Iowa, erected shortly after his death.

The Story of Balto — While we were at the service listening to the sermon it reminded me of our “Best Friends” and their place in our world. One such dog I was reminded of was Balto — known for delivering life-saving medicine to the children of Nome, Alaska, in 1925. I also thought of Balto partly because the short children’s story of it was one of our son’s favorite night-time stories to have read to him.

Finally, I thought of Balto and the Death Care world because after Balto’s natural life span he was “preserved” and continues to be on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. I had always been under the impression that Balto had been anatomically “embalmed”, such as Russia’s Vlaidmir Lenin has been, for this display to continue to be exhibited. However, through a little more research I learned that Balto’s preservation was more upon the taxidermy method.

Here’s what the Cleveland Museum of Natural History says, in part, about their exhibit of Balto:

“Following Balto’s natural death in 1933, his mount was put on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Today, he remains a shining example of triumph in the face of incredible odds, and a representation of one of humanity’s greatest partnerships with another species. Balto also serves as a symbol of Cleveland’s philanthropic tradition—a spirit of generosity that endures in the community today. As one of the Museum’s most treasured icons, now showcased in a new Visitor Hall exhibit sponsored by The Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation, Balto continues to inspire visitors and captivate the popular imagination through his story.”

The Great Race of Mercy – If you don’t know the story of Balto, The Great Race of Mercy, and how he and others delivered life-saving diptheria medicine the 654 miles from Nenana to Nome in the Alaskan wilderness through snowstorms and temperatues that reached as low as -60F in a record 127 hours (5 1/2 days) back in 1925 here it is as told by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Balto’s story as told in a 2-minute children’s video:

Funeral Director Daily take: Not your normal Funeral Director Daily article, but I thought with the growing use of “Therapy Dogs” in funeral homes, it would be appropriate to learn more of the emotions of these animals and how we are continuing to learn that their “calming” emotions may be very helpful in the funeral home setting to some family members with potential grief issues.

More news from the world of Death Care: