Even Pet Funeral Industry is Going Through Changes

Coleen A. Ellis knew when she took her 14-year old dog, Mico, to the vet, it would be for the last time. Mico had lung cancer and Ellis was having the terrier schnauzer put to sleep.

She stated “I couldn`t just walk out of there with a leash and a collar.” Ellis took Mico`s body home and called the local funeral home. They agreed to cremate Mico. As Ellis waited in the chapel, she was told they couldn`t turn on the lights because they were having a service for “a real death” down the hall. Ellis decided right then to make changes in the pet funeral industry.

One year later, she opened what is thought to be the country`s first stand-alone pet funeral home in Indianapolis. As of today, there are more than 750 pet funeral homes, pet crematories and pet cemeteries from coast to coast.

Many human funeral homes are now looking into how they can offer services when a pet dies. Ellis eventually sold her mortuary and is now running Two Hearts Pet Loss Center. They help people grieve the loss of their pet and arrange memorial services for them.

Ellis also helped start the Pet Loss Professionals Alliance (PLPA) in 2009 and it is holding it`s second annual conference this week in Las Vegas. Their goal is to simply set and maintain standards for services related to pet deaths, such as memorials, funerals, cremations, and burials as per ” inforum.com.”

The attorney and president of Lemasters Consulting of Cincinnati, Paul H. Lemasters has worked in the funeral industry for over 15 years and says that ninety percent of pet owners choose cremation rather than burials for their pets and that Illinois is the front runner on laws governing disposition of deceased pets and pet funerals.

Veterinarian Jane Shaw states “Telling stories, playing music, and reading poetry are all things that allow us to express what this individual meant to us, whether it`s human or animal.”

Source courtesy of  inforum.com

Image source Wikipedia

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