pg. 00 essay (vogel)...canine companions for independence placed derek in the hocking correctional...

22 American Funeral Director • February 2011

In our funeral homeDerek really became like anoasis in the middle of a seaof grief.

- Tom Flynn, president of HillcrestMemorial Park People and Pet Gardens

“”

AFD ProfileBy Brian Johnson

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23American Funeral Director • February 2011

Good BoyDerek promotes ‘paws’itivityto grieving families

erek was born Dec. 9, 1998. He was a puppy raised in prison, buthe didn’t have a rough life as a jailbird. At the age of 8 weeks,Canine Companions for Independence placed Derek in the HockingCorrectional Facility in Nelsonville, Ohio. After a year at the

prison, he was trained as a facility dog by one of the inmates – a bankrobber. “So you kind of have to keep purses and wallets away from him,”joked Tom Flynn, president of Hillcrest Memorial Park People and PetGardens in Hermitage, Pa., and Derek’s human master and spokesperson. Inall, Derek had about 25 commands taught to him in the prison program.

At 14 months old, Derek went off to college in Delaware, Ohio, at thetraining facility for CCI. He graduated in November 2000 when he was 23months old, after building his commands up to 50. Flynn was made awareof CCI after noticing that a doctor friend of his owned a dog released fromthe program. “For every five puppies that start the program, one willgraduate,” Flynn explained. “The ones that don’t graduate are then released.And this doctor had a released dog that worked with him in his office.”After Flynn became enamored of the golden retriever, his friend informedhim that he could apply for a release dog from CCI. That is exactly whatFlynn did, and found that the application process was extremely thorough.“When I sent the questionnaire out (to CCI) it was several pages long,”Flynn recalled. “Both my sons are adopted and the paperwork for therelease dog was longer than the paperwork I had to fill out some 40 yearsago when I was getting my two sons.”

Flynn mentioned in the paperwork that his family owned a funeral home(John Flynn Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc.) and cemetery, and wereinvolved in grief counseling. CCI was intrigued at this, because although theorganization had placed several hundred dogs at different facilities

American Funeral Director has brought you many profiles ofoutstanding death-care professionals over the years who provideinvaluable support to families in their time of grief. The following issuch a profile – it’s just that this servant of grief has four legsinstead of two.

D

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throughout its history, it had neverplaced one in a grief environment.Flynn hadn’t initially set out toobtain a trained service dog, just oneof the release dogs, but CCI’s interestin their business changed things. “Iwas very fortunate that they wereinterested in me and what we weredoing,” Flynn said.

A few months later in February2000, CCI invited Flynn to attendtraining sessions and observe theservice dogs along with other appli-cants, most of whom werewheelchair-users. “It was absolutelylife-altering to spend two weeksworking with disabled people whowere my classmates and observingwhat these wonderful dogs can dofor individuals with disabilities,”Flynn said. “It just sensitized me tothis whole world of what dogs canactually do for people.”

Derek Meets TomWhen Derek graduated in

November 2000, Flynn brought himback to the funeral home andcemetery. As Derek was acclimatedinto the funeral home environment,families reacted very positivelytoward him. “He’s able to interactwith people. People just smile whenthey see him,” Flynn said. “In our

funeral home he really became likean oasis in the middle of a sea ofgrief. For that moment that a familymember or a part of the publicwould interact with him their mindwould be taken off of the harshrealities of what they were goingthrough.”

Derek wound up in a facilitybecause he was very adept at thesocial aspects of being a service dog.His usual position is sitting withFlynn near the entrance doors,greeting families as they come intothe funeral home. “There are timeswhen family members actually wanthim to come into the viewing roomwith them. There have been instanceswhere the family member, generally awidow or widower, will stand up bythe casket with him and they justsimply hold his leash and he juststands there or sits there like a littlesoldier, and he’s just theircompanion,” Flynn said. “For me,I’m just pretty much his driver, theguy who gets him there, stays withhim and answers questions.”

On top of families wanting to petDerek, he will also perform some ofhis various commands for them,including turning lights on and offwith his mouth and paws and payingwith a credit card, where a family

member will hold out their creditcard and Derek gently takes it andwith the “Up” command he’ll put hispaws on the counter, with the “Give”command he’ll give the credit card tothe cashier, who will then give it backto him after they’ve swiped it, thenafter “Off,” “Sit” and “Give,” Flynntakes the card back. To illustrateDerek’s gentleness, Flynn said thatthere’s never been a chew mark on acredit card.

Healing GriefWhere Derek really shines is with

grieving children. He’ll frequentlymake a visit in the children’s room atthe funeral home. With thepermission of the parents, Derek willgo into the children’s room andinteract with all of the children andgently play with them.

Because Derek was doing such aphenomenal job helping familiescope with their grief at the funeralhome, it was decided that he shouldspread his talents to outsidelocations. Derek quickly began workat local schools, nursing homes andhospitals. At the hospital he startedworking with grief groups, and thenbranched out into rehab. From there,Derek started work in long-termcare. “He would go up and spend acouple of hours kind of working thecrowd,” Flynn said.

The hospital then opened up theircancer care facilities to Derek, and hespent a lot of time working withcancer patients. “It was a little bitlike owning Secretariat,” Flynn said.“I went looking for a release dog,and I got this incredibly trainedfacility dog, and you have to use him.You can’t wait until every other daywhen you have a wake and afuneral.” According to Flynn, facilitydogs from CCI need to be worked 20hours a week. “So this becomes awhole different career,” Flynn said.“So our viewing hours and callinghours might be for two hours, andthat might be four times a week,that’s only eight hours. What are yougoing to do the rest of the time? Andthat’s where all of this really started.”

Derek’s finest moment came



shortly after 9/11, when he worked atSouth Nassau Communities Hospitalin Oceanside, N.Y. The hospital hadstarted a program out of a remodeledsupermarket that involved art therapyfor children who had lost a familymember in the terrorist attacks. Flynndiscovered the program through acharitable contact, and Derekbrought his special talents for healingsorrow to Long Island. Derek wentone weekend per month, driving allthe way from Hermitage to workwith nearly 300 children. Derekreceived an award from the hospitalin recognition of his work with thegrief-stricken children. “They said hewas the most positive part of theirprogram,” Flynn said. “Because whenthe children would see the dog, theywould become children, they wouldjust act like children.” After hisoutstanding work with thosechildren, Derek began to work withschools in his area to help grievingchildren who had suffered deaths intheir families.

Derek is also on staff at theCleveland Clinic. Flynn underwentcancer treatment at the health carefacility a few years ago. He askedhospital staff if he could bring Derekin during his radiation treatments,and they told him he could. Throughsix weeks of radiation, five days perweek, Derek was with Flynn everyday. The hospital staff interactedwith Derek immediately, bringinghim treats and toys. Soon Derekinteracted with the other patientsreceiving cancer treatment, and thenthe staff started to request that Derekvisit patients in other wards of thehospital. Although Flynn was toldthat the radiation treatments wouldmake him feel very ill, he said henever felt as such because of his workwith Derek. “Obviously, he took mymind off of something that wasn’t apleasant experience,” Flynn said.

Convention PetMany of you reading this will

know Derek from his numerous

appearances at trade shows andconventions over the years. Derek’sfirst experience was in March 2001at the International Cemetery,Cremation and Funeral Associationconvention. Derek was such a hitthat the ICCFA asks Flynn to bringhim back every year. “God help me ifI don’t bring Derek,” Flynn said. “Hewalks around and has his own namebadge on him. And every post-convention issue that they run, Derekis on the cover or his picture isinside. They were just wonderful.”

In addition to the ICCFA,Pennsylvania and adjacent stateconventions, Derek has attended theNational Funeral DirectorsAssociation convention for the pastfour years.

Derek’s InfluenceAt the firm’s 2009 pet food drive,

the goal was to raise 25,000 poundsof food for area rescue organizations.Instead, they wound up with 38,000pounds. In 2010, the firm set up a

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27American Funeral Director • February 2011

foundation, The Hillcrest-Flynn PetCare Foundation, so people canmake contributions. This year’s goalis 80,000 pounds. As of mid-January,the firm has collected 61,000pounds. According to Flynn, if theymeet their goal, they will be able tofeed every sheltered animal in MercerCounty, Pa., for a year. Flynnexplained that as the foundationgrows, the firm plans to provideveterinary care, as well as spayingand neutering. “And all of this wasstarted because of Derek,” Flynnsaid. “Before Derek, a dog was a dogto me. They were not up on the bed,they were basically someone to walkwith or run with in my day, or anearly warning system. But Derekreally changed all that. When you seewhat these highly trained, specificallybred dogs can do, you just kind of gowith the flow, and that’s really whatit’s been for me.”

Derek has not only changed thecourse of Flynn’s business, but alsothe course of his life. “I’m a business

guy, and now I’m spending 20 hoursa week in hospitals and schools andfuneral homes – wherever he isneeded,” Flynn said. It wasn’t exactlywhat Flynn was expecting when hedecided to look for a dog more than10 years ago. “I guess it was just fate,it was something that was meant tobe,” he said. Flynn now finds himselfreaching out to people with disabil-ities, introducing them to Derek andhanding out brochures for CCI.

RetirementThis February, Flynn is going back

to CCI to get a successor for Derek,who now, at just over 12 years old, isapproaching his golden retirementyears. “Derek can handle it but at 12years of age he’s just beginning toshow signs that he’s slowed down alittle bit, and he’s kind of grayed-outquite a bit,” Flynn said. “He’s still gotall the moves, but you want to beable to continue Derek’s work, so weneed a successor.” Derek’s successoris going to be specifically trained to

work with disabled veterans. As aveteran himself, Flynn finds thiswork right up his alley. “I don’tknow anything about grief,” Flynnjoked. “I just go and the dog doeseverything.”

Sadly for Derek’s fans, 2011 willprobably his last year on theconvention circuit. He will be accom-panied at various trade shows by hissuccessor this year, then afterconvention season wraps up next fall,if Derek decides to hang up his leashhis successor will take over the booth.

Whatever Derek decides, he’salready left a lasting imprint on thosewho have been fortunate enough toknow him. For Flynn in particular,Derek has touched his life in ways henever could have imagined. “I’m inthings now that I never, ever wouldhave dreamt of,” Flynn said. “It’sbecome almost a vocation fromsomething that started out as justlooking for a release dog. It’s been awonderful journey, and we lookforward to the next phase of it.” �

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