Posted on 01/18/2012 10:21:21 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
Oliver's photo still hangs at the Krause Funeral Homes, but he is no longer available to help grieving families.
First a Krause family pet, Oliver ended up working most of his life as a therapy dog.
"I remember one little boy, maybe about 8 years old, who wouldn't talk after a sibling died," funeral director Mark Krause said. "But he talked and talked to Oliver.
"Oliver worked maybe a thousand funerals in his day, maybe more," he said. "What he did was really magical. People in their suits and dresses would get down on the floor to pet him."
Oliver died Dec. 26, just a week after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
~snip~
Oliver's formal education included training and certification as a therapy dog with Pets Helping People in New Berlin. When his wife began talking about taking Oliver to schools and nursing homes, Krause had a different idea.
"I think we could really use him at the funeral home," he said.
And so Oliver went to work.
Sometimes he would be there when families came in to make funeral arrangements. Sometimes people would ask about the dog with his portrait on the wall and then want Oliver to attend their gatherings.
~snip~
"You would put on his vest and he'd put his game face on," Krause said. "He had this radar for who needed him. He'd scan the room and zero in on someone, walk up and say hello. Then he'd kind of lean against you."
His signature move was to sit on people's feet.
"It was his way of hugging people," Krause said. "When he was done working, he was a regular old dog, getting into trouble and everything."
~snip~
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
Kristyna Wentz-Graff
Oliver, a 5-year-old Portuguese water dog, works in 2006 at Krause Funeral Home in Milwaukee with owner Joan Krause and Emilie Springer, 6, of East Troy. Oliver died in December after providing solace for perhaps 1,000 funerals.
Doggie Ping!
A wonderful idea and a wonderful dog. I hope they find another for themselves and for the mourners.
If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can get going without pep pills,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on
you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can ignore a friend’s limited education and never correct him,
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
If you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no
prejudice against creed, color, religion or politics,
Then, my friend, you are almost as good as your dog!
- Author Unknown
Guess it’s time to get a new pair of glasses. For some reason, everything is all blurry now.
“Oliver died Dec. 26, just a week after being diagnosed with lung cancer.”
I’d like to have 5 minutes alone with whoever is giving cigarettes to dogs. It is disgusting - I mean, look at this, this dog is a real juvenile delinquent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF_MiCZaI6s
;-)
Great.
When my Father was in a nursing home a school volunteer group would bring puppies from the local animal shelter to visit residents. Even those residents with dementia would just beam seeing and holding a puppy.
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