Honoring your Pet's Memory through Pet Cremation
Pet loss, whether anticipated or sudden, is a tragic event. Pet Owners facing the loss of their pet are often overwhelmed, finding themselves unprepared to handle the proper disposition of their beloved companion.
If you are a Pet Owner whose pet is in failing health, or if you have sadly experienced the recent passing of a pet, the following is an informative guide to help you move through this difficult period with knowledge and understanding.
Choosing pet cremation as a memorial
Because we form special bonds with our companions, it is only natural that many of us wish to follow the human model of burial or cremation to respect and remember our pet’s devotion. An option such as burying your pet at home sometimes necessitates meeting stringent health department regulations, and you may find that pet cemeteries are either hard to find or costly.
Today many Pet Owners opt for cremation since it both provides a way to keep your pet near you and allows you to bury or scatter some of your pet’s ashes in your yard or a favorite place your pet enjoyed. With our mobile society many families choose pet cremation in order to keep their pet’s memorial with them when they move.
Understanding the pet cremation process
The process of pet cremation uses extreme heat (usually 1500 – 1600 degrees Fahrenheit) and evaporation in the cremation chamber to reduce the body to its basic elements which are referred to as cremated remains, or cremains. Also commonly called ashes, the cremains are in fact bone fragments which are then reduced in size to a sand-like state.
Selecting a type of cremation for your pet
It is important to know that there are a two options that exist within pet cremation, and therefore you will want to be sure to confirm the type of cremation you desire for your pet with the HSNWIA, after considering which one of the following choices best aligns with your wishes:
Private Cremation – You recieve all the cremains and only the cremains of your pet. A basic white plastic urn is returned to the Pet Owner - you can transfer the cremains to the final resting place of your choice.
Group Cremation – Your pet is cremated along with a number of other pets, and the cremains are not able to be separated. If you wish to recieve cremains back, they will not be exclusively your pet.
All pets are tagged and carefully handled with respect and dignity. We guarantee that in cases of Private Cremation, that you will recieve only the cremains of your pet.
Transferring your pet’s ashes
Your pet’s ashes are placed in a sealed plastic bag which is then placed in a temporary plastic pet urn. The ashes are bagged to prevent accidental loss should the pet urn be dropped or damaged, as well as to prevent damage from moisture. It is preferable to transfer the entire plastic bag of cremains into a permanent pet urn. If you provide your own urn, or purchse one from the HSNWIA, a staff member will transfer your pet's cremains upon request.
Determining the right pet memorial urn
Just as we pay tribute to a dear departed loved one, Pet Owners feel they should do something special to memorialize a much-loved pet. A popular choice of pet memorial is a decorative wooden box which serves as an urn to hold your pet’s ashes, displaying a name plate and treasured photo. Larger pet urns can additionally hold remembrances such as a collar, tag or ball. The HSNWIA has a limited selection of pet urns available for purchase, or you can bring in your own urn if you want a staff member to place your pet's cremains in it for you.
To determine the size of the urn for your pet, you’ll want to know the weight of your pet and the capacity of the selected pet urn in cubic inches. For example, if your pet weighed 50 pounds under normal healthy conditions, you would select an urn with an interior area of at least 50 cubic inches.