Meet Basil, the beagle helping people through their toughest days.
Basil works as a funeral therapy dog at Clive Pugh Funeral Directors in Shrewsbury.
He’s introduced to grieving families when they come in to discuss funeral arrangements, when people can decide if they’d like to have the soothing presence of a dog around while they discuss the difficult topic.
‘We know right away if people don’t want him there,’ explains Rosalinda, who runs the funeral directors with her husband, Clive. ‘We have a little article about him they can read.
‘We introduce him as a comfort dog. It’s up to the family if they want him to be with them.’
If the family find Basil a comfort, he’s welcome to join them during all discussions of funeral arrangements, and can tag along to the funeral itself for added support.
The idea isn’t just for the joy of having a cute dog around – therapy animals have proven benefits, lowering blood pressure, reducing stress, and promoting the release of serotonin and oxytocin.
On the day of a loved one’s funeral, when you have to confront the reality of death and loss, just having a dog you can stroke can make a huge difference.
‘Beagles are such loving, caring dog,’ says Rosalinda. ‘They are pack hounds. They are used to being with lots of other dogs.
‘Basil loves all the attention. It’s the ideal job for him. He thrives on it. Children, in particular, love him.
‘Of course, no-one wants to go to a funeral parlour. It’s the last thing people ever want to do.
‘Basil puts everyone at ease. His instinct is to comfort.
‘When families are sitting here, arranging a funeral, their minds tend to be all over the place. Basil is very perceptive. I think it just breaks the ice if you have something else to focus upon and talk about, even if it is just for a few minutes.
‘You really can feel that tension leaving the room.’
Julia Coates, who went to Clive and Rosalinda to discuss arrangements for her mum’s funeral, was incredibly grateful to have Basil around.
‘He just came to me when I walked through the door,’ said Julia. ‘It was very calming. Basil was a welcome distraction and very soothing.
‘He’s such a loveable, happy dog. He just seemed to know what I needed. I thought he was lovely. It sounds odd, but I really enjoyed coming here.
‘When my nieces came to the Chapel of Rest to see their aunt, they both met Basil. One daughter went in with her mum, but the other one was unsure.
‘They are both in their twenties and my sister thought it would help give them closure to say goodbye. Mum was wearing her favourite outfit, with makeup on and looked like she was asleep.
‘Basil followed us in. The girls found him a great comfort.’
Basil recently attended the service of a funeral for the late Edna Bottomley, who died aged 93. He wore a black bandana and waited by the coffin with Rosalinda, who kept an eye on him.
Edna’s daughter, Carol Marshall-Broom, said: ‘Mum was a real animal lover. If she’d met Basil, she’d have loved him.
‘When the first hymn came on – Just As I Am – Basil started barking, as if he knew it was her favourite and then in the prayers, he just sort of sighed.
‘He nearly lost his nose in a mousetrap under a pew, but he was very good. Mum would have laughed.
‘When we were arranging the funeral, we met Basil and I asked if he could come to the funeral. I knew mum would have loved to have a dog at her funeral.
‘The last time she went to church it was for a pet service, a few weeks before she died. Mum was a great supporter of animal charities and had worked for RSPCA Cat Rescue – she had a sleeping cat in flowers at the bottom of her coffin, along with a little robin.
‘Basil led her in. He was lovely. He had a little woof in the first hymn and joined in.
‘The vicar was lovely and explained to the congregation why Basil was there.
‘I’m sure ordinary people would have thought “why is there a dog in the church?” After the hymn, he gave another little sigh. It was so well timed, it was untrue. Mum would have been laughing her head off.’
‘When you have lost a loved one, sometimes it seems like nothing can make you feel better,’ says Rosalinda. ‘Until you get a cuddle from a therapy dog.
‘We hope that, for those experiencing grief, having Basil here will put smiles on their faces, at least for a moment.
‘It’s just something to lighten the load of that journey.’
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