Therapy Dog Provides Comfort to Those Who Care for the Dead

PHOTO BY ANNIE CERUTTI

You can’t help but get a warm and fuzzy feeling around Winifred “Winnie” Valentine — even at a funeral.

Standing about a foot tall, the blue-eyed Pomeranian-Siberian husky mix, or Pomsky, is the Director of Love and Affection at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science in Shadyside.

After a long day spent caring for the dead, students and staff members can drop by her office, located inside the school’s Comfort Care Center, for a little poofy-tail-waggin’ R&R.

“She embodies the school’s mantra, ‘Follow Your Servant’s Heart,’” says Dr. Barry Lease, PIMS president and CEO.

Born on Valentine’s Day 2025, Winnie is the second canine to hold court at the nonprofit educational institution, which was founded in 1939.

Sydney Elachko, therapy dog for both PIMS and the John N. Elachko Funeral Home in South Oakland, crossed the rainbow bridge last month. Her official title was Director of Love and Emotional Support Emeritus.

Anyone got a tissue?

Winnie’s constant presence is helping the student body heal. And, you could say, she’s given Lease a new leash on life.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

As part of her therapy dog training, he takes her on daily walks through the neighborhood and hands out “I Met Winnie Today” stickers to folks who stop to pet the pup’s beautiful coat.

“I’m her mom, but he’s her BFF,” says Annie Cerutti, Winnie’s owner and the business office advisor and social media coordinator for PIMS.

The Irwin resident has wanted a dog for decades, but couldn’t bear the thought of leaving an attention-hungry creature alone while she worked. Making Winnie a fellow PIMS employee solved the problem.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

You can follow all of Winnie’s heart-warming adventures on Instagram.

She’s a “bone”afide celebrity.

There are plush versions of the pooch available at PIMS, she’s on the cover of the August 2025 issue of American Funeral Director magazine and she had a blowout birthday party at The Dog Penn in the Strip District.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

For Halloween, Cerrutti says the pair plan to masquerade as Cher and Dionne from the 1995 movie “Clueless.”

To anyone who thinks Winnie’s job at the mortuary school is “ruff,” Cerrutti says, “As if!”

The four-legged stress reliever, who also visits nursing homes, hospitals and other public places as part of her training, is paid handsomely in belly rubs, designer digs and treats.

Her spirited personality brings levity to solemn situations.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

This fall, PIMS plans to dedicate its new Chapel of the Servant’s Heart, a place where students will learn how to organize a visitation and conduct a funeral service while paying tribute to some of the unclaimed decedents in the school’s care.

Each year, PIMS embalms more than 900 bodies; they come from the medical examiner’s office, organ procurement organizations and local funeral homes.

It’s a sad reality that often weighs heavy on students’ hearts and minds. Lease believes the chapel, along with Winnie’s unwavering love, adds empathy to the education.

“Everything we do here is a learning opportunity,” he says. “We can’t instill a servant’s heart, but we can fortify it.”