How Pets Can Play a Role in the Healing Process

Bereavement can unfold over the span of many months, even years—and during that time, it is important to prioritize your own mental health. There are many ways to promote your own wellbeing, and one that is far too often overlooked is to spend some time with pets.

Animals can provide innumerable benefits to the healing process. Sometimes, you just need someone to cuddle with—and your pet can provide that. In other instances, silent companionship can be fortifying. Pets also provide opportunities to laugh, to get up and move around, to go outside, and more.

More than anything, pets provide tactile sensations—the joy of touch that comes through petting, snuggling, and cuddling. That’s why those who do not have pets of their own can benefit from going to cuddle with a friend’s dog or cat, or even from visiting a pet store where they can engage with animals.

It is also why some funeral homes provide therapy animals to their clients. Ballard-Durand Funeral & Cremation Services, based in New York, has won much attention for their efforts in pairing mourners with therapeutic support animals. They have a “staff member,” a Goldendoodle named Lulu, whose role in the healing process was celebrated on The Today Show.

“She’s developed an uncanny knack for knowing who needs her,” Matthew Fiorillo, the owner of the funeral home, said to Today. “She’ll park herself right next to an older person to let them pet her one minute and the next she’s prancing around with kids.”

The role of pets in the healing process is profound—and if you know someone who is going through a season of grieving, one of the best things you can do is encourage them to spend some time in the company of animals.