By GREGORY ZELLER //
Mourners attending this weekend’s Spring Candlelight Remembrance Vigil at one of Long Island’s largest cemeteries will have some highly trained four-legged support.
Through a special collaboration with Nesconset-based 501(C)3 nonprofit Paws of War, Farmingdale-based Pinelawn Memorial Park & Arboretum will release the hounds on Saturday – more specifically, a small army of trained service dogs, on hand to provide grief support for the 300-or-so attendees of the annual candlelight service.
Certified by New Jersey-based Therapy Dogs International and trained by Paws of War professional dog-whisperers, the service dogs will be available throughout the ceremony, in which grieving family members will gather to read off the names of lost loved ones and light candles in their honor.
It’s not the normal call of duty for the Paws of War pups; traditionally, the dogs provide animal therapy for active military members, first responders and other front-line veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.
Ryan Haugstatter: Healing powers.
But the training they receive to provide that service attunes them to signs of suffering in humans and cues their instincts to intervene and help promote more positivity.
In that way, the dogs provide a “gentle respite during tough times,” according to Paws of War Director of Veteran Affairs and Development Ryan Haugstatter, making them ideal resources during events like Saturday’s vigil.
“Our therapy dogs don’t just offer comfort, they provide a source of hope and give unconditional love,” Haugstatter noted. “We know the healing powers that only animals can bring, and we are thankful to be part of this candlelight vigil.
“It’s a privilege to work with Pinelawn Memorial Park & Arboretum as we share a commitment to supporting our military families and the Long Island community.”
A 2022 study involving 82 military active members and retired veterans assigned to partner with a PTSD service dog found that veterans spent more than 80 percent of their day with their service animal, with 52 percent of study participants reporting their dog was able to ease feelings of anxiety.
A separate report comparing companion dogs to service dogs – which are specifically trained to perform tasks benefitting individuals with physical, sensory, psychiatric or intellectual disabilities – and their varying effects on military veterans and former first aid responders with PTSD was published in 2022 by the peer-reviewed scientific journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.
That report found that “veterans and first-aid responders with PTSD who had a service dog showed significantly less PTSD-related symptoms, better sleep quality and better wellbeing experience than those with a companion dog.”
Safe at home: Paws of War has made a name for rescuing endangered animals abroad and reuniting them with military veterans.
In addition to matching service dogs with PTSD victims, circa-2014 Paws of War also rescues dogs and cats from dangerous situations domestically and abroad, including saving animals from theaters of war (more than 600 to date, according to the Nesconset-based charity). The agency also reunites military personnel with animals they served with or otherwise bonded with.
The paw-fect partnership with Pinelawn figures to extend beyond this weekend – the therapy dogs will also be on-site for other events at the Farmingdale facility throughout 2024, including the park/arboretum’s annual Lantern Lighting Celebration, scheduled for September.
Whenever they’re around, they’ll offer a “unique, calming influence to support the healing process for those who are mourning,” according to Pinelawn Memorial Park & Arboretum President Justin Locke.
“It is incredible to witness the therapeutic role animals can play, and we are honored to have these service dogs visiting at Pinelawn,” Locke said in a statement. “Pinelawn is committed to helping guide our families every step of the way by offering tools and support so that they feel a sense of peace and security even during the most trying of times.”
