A final furwell
Rise in dogs and cats being walked alongside hearse
More and more mourners are having their lost loved one’s pet as part of the funeral cortege.
Dogs and cats are now regularly in funeral cars or walking alongside the hearse as their owners are laid to rest.
Funeral directors said it has become increasingly common to have a muchloved pet involved.
Like the famous Greyfriar’s Bobby in Edinburgh, working cocker spaniel Fraggle was heartbroken when his owner, college lecturer Carl Gilbert, 60, passed away in April.
Carl ’s wife Kim said that having Fraggle walked in the cortege alongside funeral director Nicola Easton, before taking his seat in the back of the limo to gog to the crematorium, helped the whole who family.
Kim, 58, from Leven, Fife, said: “Fraggle is an extremely loyal and sensitive dog.
“He became distressed and his behaviour changed hugely when Carl died.
“He became clingy and a introverted and started sta to sleep in areas where wher his dad used to sit. “WhWhen Nicola arrived at our h home, she was touched by Fraggle’s sadness and suggested that Fraggle be walked alongside her as part of the funeral cortege. Shortly after, Nicola took Fraggle by the lead and led him to look at the flowers in the hearse. Almost immediately, his tail started wagging and the closer and closer they got, the happier Fraggle seemed. He could smell his dad’s scent from the coffin.”
Kim, whose husband taught countryside, conservation and wildlife courses, said Fraggle was as important to Carl as any member of the family.
She said: “I was overjoyed to see Fraggle play such a central role at his dad’s service and, while Fraggle’s inclusion in the funeral was not pre-planned, it was great that the funeral directors really encouraged animal lovers to have their pets as part of their service.”
Nicola, who has been working as a Co-op funeral director in her home town of Denbeath, Fife, for f ive years, said: “I have noticed a rise in the number of pets attending funerals and feel they can offer real support to grieving families. For many of us, pets are family and they can bring such comfort during times of bereavement.
“We’re really encouraging families to think about ways in which they can be a part of a final farewell and we’ve seen firsthand just how special it can be when they get to pay their own respects.”