Therapy Dogs in Funeral Homes: Comfort for Grieving Families

Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula · Apr 23, 2026 · 36m

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text message.

In this episode of Comforting Closure – Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Dan Ford, President of Alderson-Ford Funeral Homes and President of the National Funeral Directors Association, to talk about something many people have never heard of before: therapy dogs in funeral homes.

Dan shares the story of Joey and Annie, two certified therapy dogs who work alongside him to support grieving families. When people walk into a funeral home, they often expect formality and silence. What they do not expect is the quiet…