‘Say Hello To Mochi’: Funeral Home Grooms Puppy To Become A Grief Therapy Dog

FRANKLIN, N.C. (CBS Local) — An adorable Bernese Mountain Dog is training to become a licensed therapy dog to comfort grieving families at a North Carolina funeral home.

The Macon Funeral Home in Franklin shared the news on Facebook.

“Say hello to Mochi, the newest member of Macon Funeral Home!” She’s an eight-week-old Bernese Mountain Dog who loves people and loves to sleep,” the Facebook post said.

The pup belongs to Tori McKay, the office administrator at Macon Funeral Home.

“The Bernese Mountain Dog is a very loyal, affectionate and gentle animal, and has always been my choice for a potential grief therapy dog,” she wrote in a blog on the funeral home’s website. “They have a history of being excellent therapy and support dogs, which comes from their kind disposition and laid-back personalities.”

McKay said she had dreamed of introducing a grief therapy dog at the funeral home for ten years.

“It’s my goal to work funeral visitations with Mochi (pronounced “mow-chee”) when families request her, and I would also like to make visits to nursing homes in the evenings every couple weeks or so,” she wrote.

McKay says she will send Moshi to Asheville for formal training when she’s between six months and one year old. Until then, she is training and socializing her.

“So far, everyone has been so supportive, and Mochi has already made a difference in families’ lives this week,” she wrote. “I have had people reach out for grief therapy, and the reception on Facebook has been incredible.”