On December 3rd, Houston Police officer Officer D. Herrejon and his partner, Patrol Horse Charlotte, were traveling on a busy downtown thorofare when a loud noise startled her. Charlotte jerked to the side and collided with a cement truck. A passerby snapped a touching photo of Officer Herrejon with Charlotte, who had to be euthanized as a result of the accident. In honor of Charlotte, HPD created a tribute video which we are sharing here.
Rest in Peace Officer Charlotte
A photo of Officer D. Herrejon comforting his parter, Patrol Horse Charlotte, went viral after it was posted on the Animal Justice League’s Facebook page.
>>Related story: Houston Police create tribute video to deceased horse in viral photo
>>Related story: Touching photo of Houston Police officer with dying horse goes viral
More Weekly News 12/14/2015
2015 is the year America started having a sane conversation about death
12/16/15–vox.com: Earl Blumenauer had become accustomed to losing. During the health reform debate, the Oregon congressman pushed a provision that would reimburse doctors for helping Medicare patients draw up advance care directives. Blumenauer’s proposal quickly became the most politically toxic section of a law rife with contested projects and programs… Read the full story
Miwa Okamoto Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg via Bloomberg Business
Try Before You Buy a Coffin: Death Business Thrives in Japan
12/15/15–bloomberg.com: Akira Okomoto sat up and climbed out of a coffin. “It was very relaxing,” he proclaimed, as his 27-year-old daughter, Miwa, then trepidatiously took her turn lying down for five minutes in the dark enclosure that would one day be her final resting place… Read the full story
Mortuary science’s a discipline of caring and technique
12/15/15–boston.com: The death industry is an extremely stressful undertaking. At Mount Ida College, mortuary school instructor Sarah Stopyra said that she can teach her students about pathology, embalming, casketing, regulatory compliance and more. But it’s difficult to convey to hopeful morticians about how all-consuming the funeral profession is…
Funerals for the living in bid to tackle South Korea’s high suicide rate
12/15/15–theguardian.com: South Koreans are being encouraged to take part in their own mock funerals, as the country turns to shock therapy in the hope of tackling a suicide rate so high it is the fourth most common form of death in the country. At a recent “mass funeral” in the capital Seoul, employees of a recruitment company were told to write wills and farewell letters… Read the full story
Photo: ALEXA WELCH EDLUND via www.richmond.com
Not just a man’s job: More women are funeral home directors
12/13/15–richmond.com: For centuries, and across many cultures, women have taken many roles in the rituals surrounding death. They have dressed bodies, cooked and cared for survivors and rendered other services. But, until a few decades ago, few women were funeral directors in the American funeral industry. That job was one among many that were widely considered “a man’s job… Read the full story
What It’s Like to See L.A. Bury 1,300 Unclaimed Bodies in One Service
12/12/15–inverse.com: The film Donnie Darko is built around the premise that “Every living creature on Earth dies alone.” But here’s the thing about dying alone: Someone still has to deal with your corpse. In a variety of circumstances — if you kick the bucket at home and you have no family, or if your body is found on a park bench, or if you step in front of a train and no one can recognize your remains — what’s left of you becomes the property of the county where you left this mortal coil… Read the full story
Why death is common in kids’ films and how parents can cope
12/10/2015–postbulletin.com: In the latest Pixar release, “The Good Dinosaur,” little Arlo’s dad is dramatically washed away by a raging river. And Arlo isn’t the only animated hero to lose a family member in the film’s first act. The protagonist in last year’s “Big Hero 6” loses his brother in an explosion. Then, there’s Nemo, whose mom is eaten by a barracuda in the opening minutes of “Finding Nemo… Read full story
Happiness won’t help you live longer (but unhappiness won’t kill you either)
12/10/2015–washingtonpost.com: You won’t die of unhappiness. Contrary to the long-held and widespread belief that the more stressed and out of control you are the more your body will feel it, a large study published in The Lancet this week concludes that the idea that there’s a link between happiness and longevity may be unfounded… Read the full story
