Toronto Star

• NEW YORK and TORONTO and LONDON and SYDNEY, April 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Dog Man is top dog and it's a global sweep!
• The bestselling Dog Man graphic novel series by author and illustrator Dav Pilkey powers up to the #1 spot with Dog Man: The Scarlett Shedder topping bestseller lists worldwide.
• In Australia and New Zealand, sales for The Scarlet Shedder grew 9% compared to the previous Dog Man book, and in Canada, sales are trending 10% higher.
• In Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder, the twelfth book in the series, Dav Pilkey delves into the world of artificial intelligence and introduces A.I.

• TORONTO, Feb. 12, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, NATIONAL is pleased to announce Saeed Selvam's appointment to Vice-President and Practice Lead, Public Affairs, of the Toronto office.
• Prior to this role at NATIONAL Public Relations, Saeed served as a Global Policy Lead and Associate Principal at Google and then as the Managing Director (Ontario and Federal) of New West Public Affairs.
• "With his deep-rooted knowledge of the Canadian public affairs landscape, at all levels of government, Saeed's expertise, and ability to lead complex public affairs and public engagement mandates makes him the perfect addition to our growing team," said Brian Pearl, Managing Partner of NATIONAL's Toronto office.
• "Saeed will deliver the insights and strategic counsel our Public Affairs clients count on, while helping NATIONAL Toronto – and the Firm at large - continue to grow and bolster its competitive public affairs offering in market".

• Halifax-based publisher All Business Online News Group is expanding into Alberta to deliver its exclusive brand of journalism to the province's dynamic business community.
• More than 40 journalists at sister titles including allNovaScotia, allNewfoundlandLabrador and allNewBrunswick are the primary source of must-have business intelligence for over 18,000 paid subscribers across the country.
• "Even though the focus, as always, is local business news, we think Alberta stories will be of value to our subscribers across the country.
• All Business Online News Group Ltd. counts most of its journalists as shareholders.

• From service dogs and emotional support animals to the pet waiting to greet us at the front door, animals can bring joy, comfort and companionship to our lives.
• As that story highlighted, and as many others will note, burying, embalming or cremating animals is hardly a new practice.
• As it turns out, animals are more frequently getting mentioned in the obituaries of their human companions.

How obituaries are changing

• More importantly though, obituaries give the bereaved a chance to tell a story about someone they loved.
• As recently as 1990, not a single one of the 53 obituaries published on a given Saturday in the Toronto Star mentioned any pets.
• In a sample from 1980 to 2022 containing 3,241 obituaries, only 79 mention animals.
• However, this minor uptick points to a transformation in how people compose obituaries.

Telling personal stories

• The old standard was short notices stating the deceased’s name, age and where they died — all in the space of about four lines.
• In recent years, the mean length has grown to around 40 lines, with some reaching over 100 lines.
• Recent obituaries are also more likely to mention the deceased’s education, occupation or hobbies.

Our furry friends

• It has become more common to mention someone’s pet, or love of animals.
• Beyond the pet’s name, we learn whether they were a “hoity-toity poodle,” a “loyal companion” or “the best dog ever.” Occupation is another staple of obituaries.
• Unsurprisingly, groups like the Humane Society, the Farley Foundation and various nature conservancy groups are growing in popularity.

The new ways we grieve

• Namely, people are placing greater value on nature and non-human animals.
• But the evidence — in obituaries and beyond — suggests people are finding meaningful connection through the natural world and with other-than-human creatures.
• To commemorate the lasting memory of someone they loved, families want to share with the world what made that person special.

Chris Miller does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.