Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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TAX SERVICE
Serving Kosciusko County and important parts of Noble & Marshall Counties
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574-505-0813 By Appointment Only 9581 E. 100 N., Akron, IN 46910 E-mail: tom@tombauterscpa.com
Vol. 51, No. 29
Milford (574) 658-4111 • Warsaw (574) 269-2932 • Syracuse (574) 457-3666
114 W. Market, Warsaw, Indiana 46580
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7H[W DQG 3KRWRV %\ 3+2(%( %$1.6 $VVRFLDWH (GLWRU The healing power of animals is no secret. Anyone, who has ever had to attend a funeral or make arrangements for a loved one, knows how sad and grief stricken one feels. But, what if, amidst the immense sadness and grief, one was greeted by a 68-pound, tail-wagging, loving sheepadoodle? Meet Titus Funeral Home’s furry, fourlegged employee, Hazel. Hazel is a 7-year-old sheepadoodle, who is owned by the funeral home’s associate, Stacy Huffer. With her help, Hazel finished her training for certification as a therapy dog. She is certified through Alliance of Therapy Dogs, and she helps bring comfort and joy to others. A sheepadoodle is a mixedbreed dog — a cross between the Old English sheepdog and poodle dog breeds. Huffer obtained Hazel in the winter of 2020. The two worked together during training, which took six months at a training facility in Wabash. Additionally, training took place at three facilities — two medical and one non-medical. “It helped socialize them,” explained Huffer of the training. “She is tested for temperament and basic manners, and she has a great temperament.” Hazel, who will be 8 years old in April, is trained to respond to visual cues. She has learned hand signals for different commands, such as sit, stay and lie down. Communicating visually with Hazel is less distracting than speaking to her during her use in grief therapy for often quiet events, such as visitations and funerals. Therapy dogs make the perfect companion to help ease anxiety and confusion of death. Even if she creates a distraction for a moment or two from the stress and grief a person is experiencing, her mere presence is enough to release “feel good” hormones, like serotonin and oxytocin. She can bring comfort without saying a word. Through her extensive training, Hazel is able to fulfill this need for those in Kosciusko County experiencing the loss of a loved one. Hazel is used at the funeral home on a case-by-case basis. The staff will ask a family if they would mind having Hazel around during a service or viewing. “We ask them first,” said the funeral home’s owner Cory Benz. “She’s good with adults and children.” When Hazel isn’t working at Titus Funeral Home, she enjoys chasing squirrels in the backyard, napping on her handler’s bed and cuddling on the couch. She may weigh 68 pounds, but she thinks she is a lap dog, Huffer said. Georgia, another grief therapy dog, is joining Hazel in helping those with grief. Now both dogs bring comfort to people during visitations and funerals. Georgia is 1 years old and is a Labrador, poodle, and Burmese mountain dog mix. Huffer obtained Georgia during the COVID pandemic. “Hopefully, we can alternate with them,” said Huffer of both of the comforting canines. In addition to serving people, the funeral home also offers pet cremation services through a partnership with Paws and Remember. It offers a full range of funeral care and cremation services for dogs, cats and other pets.