Remembrance Day – The Role of Animals
For Remembrance Day, we honour the people who bravely served, sacrificed and gave their lives in the line of duty. We also honour the animals who were used by humans in war.
Beyond active use in war, animals continue to support our veterans at home. We know there are many therapeutic benefits to spending time with animals. Red Cross societies today use dogs for animal visitation teams to support veterans and military families, using their calming presence to help people heal.
Recently, I had the honour of chatting with Greg, an OHS canine enrichment volunteer, who began volunteering at the OHS after serving 21 years with the Canadian Armed Forces.
Greg shared with me how pets and volunteering help him find peace, community, and purpose after a career of service. Here are some of the highlights of our conversation:
Stephen: From your experience, what’s the benefit of a person bonding with an animal?
Greg: Pets help me turn off the stresses of life. The news, politics, finances — when I’m with a dog, none of that matters. Instead I get to focus on them and the help they need to get ready for their forever home.
At home, it’s the same with my cats, and they are actually the reason I started volunteering with the OHS!
Stephen: After the military, how does a connection with animals help you in your personal life?
Greg: After military life I experienced a sense of isolation, a lack of purpose, emotional numbing, quickness to agitation, panic and nightmares. Animals help me to be grounded and stay in the present. They have a way of offering companionship with no strings attached, no judgement and in a way that makes me forget about everything except them. It’s just me and the dog, and the world goes away.
Stephen: By volunteering, you give to the animals. What benefit do you get from volunteering?
Greg: Volunteering with the animals at the OHS helped greatly with many of the symptoms I live with each day. I take a lot of satisfaction in helping a dog who was once shut down.
I know it’s important to get out and be active in the community rather than staying closed off at home, and volunteering at the OHS has been great for that and has given me a real sense of community.
Stephen: Why does a sense of community matter to you?
Greg: The military used to be one of the reasons I got up in the morning. I was a husband, father and officer — it was a core part of who I was and where I found my sense of community. Community means being a part of something bigger than yourself and making a difference. Volunteering at the OHS I see my impact right away when a dog I’ve helped gets adopted. Even better, I sometimes run into the dogs out in the community with their new family. That’s what makes it all worth it.
Stephen: Is there a personal tradition you have for Remembrance Day?
Greg: When I was an officer, I commanded a parade for the internment of a colleague of mine in the Armed Forces. Every Remembrance Day, I return to his grave to reflect on his service and to remember what an honour it was to be a part of laying him to rest. Before leaving, I place a penny on his gravestone — a symbol that someone visited the grave and a reminder that he is not forgotten.
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I’d like to give a tremendous thank you to Greg for volunteering his time for the animals, openly sharing very personal experiences with me, and for his service to Canada.
This Remembrance Day, let’s honour all who have bravely served and the animals at their side, including the animals who are helping at home.
Stephen Smith
Senior Manager: Marketing & Communications