He may be a bit unsteady on his paws, but the newest four-legged member of the Brown Funeral Home staff, an eight-week-old golden retriever puppy dubbed Sir Winston Bailey is sure to bring lots of smiles with a wag of his tail.

Sir Winston made his debut Thursday and is being trained as a licensed therapy dog to help comfort both the staff and their customers.

“We did a lot of research with other funeral homes that had them,” Brown said. “They have told me a million times over that they wish they had done it years ago.”

Brown said he was inspired to get a therapy dog after he met Murphy the Golden Retriever at Woodland Terrace at Longmeadow. He said the facility helped advise him on the right trainer and type of dog.

After the research, Brown said they decided on a golden retriever because the breed is known to be sensitive to the emotions of people.

“They are the type of dog that will come up to you and lay their head in your lap,” Brown said.  “There’s a mutual feeling of understanding.”

Brown said when he went to visit the litter of puppies at Bennignton Hills in Fenton, Michigan, Sir Winston Bailey’s personality stood out.

“He liked to play and run and jump, but when he needed to calm down he could do so,” Brown said.

To utilize Sir Winston Bailey as a healer, Brown said they will ask those who come in to the funeral home if they would like to see the dog.  He said he understands that not everyone is a dog person or that they might have allergies, so they will be sensitive to these possibilities.

Animals in general, Brown said, have a great ability to help people feel better.

“There’s just something calming when we can just sit with a dog and … they feel like they can pour their heart out… and the dog does not judge them. Somehow they make a great day better and a bad day better,” he said.

While Sir Winston Bailey will help those who come in grieving the loss of a loved one, Brown also said the puppy is expected to bring a smile to those on staff.

On Monday afternoon, Sir Winston Bailey demonstrated this as he attempted to run from one side of the funeral home to the other. He flopped over a few times on unsteady legs, which he would casually play off by rolling on his back, hoping a passerby would take the opportunity to pet him.

Brown is also part of the Southwest Michigan Mass Fatality Group. He hopes to be able to bring Sir Winston Bailey to the scene after he is trained.

Sir Winston Bailey has begun helping those in need. The puppy gets the last part of his name from a deceased local boy, Bailey Bennett, who died of cancer earlier this year. Brown said that the boy’s mom came in to see the puppy named after her son.

“She just fell in love,” Brown said. “You could see the tears, but I think they were good tears.”

Already Sir Winston Bailey is getting into the working mode. Brown said when he gets up in the morning and tells Sir Winston Bailey that it is time to work, the dog happily runs to the door.

“We are hoping it will just be one more avenue of a way to help make a difficult time a little easier,” Brown said.