Green Pet Care: Afterlife Services for Your Furry Family Members

Almost everyone has been through the loss of a pet at some point in their life. I have always been aware of cremation services for when you lose a pet and want to have its ashes in memory of your friend. But what if there was a better, more eco friendly way? Aquamation is the service offered by Green Pet Care that does the same thing in rendering the ashes. However, instead of incineration by fire, the method is done with water.

Aquamation is a process of using potassium and sodium in water to decompose a body within 20 hours. It doesn't give off any smoke and the loved ones actually get back 20-30% more of their pet's ashes. Glyn Richards, Ben Lafleur, and Jeremy Lewis are the owners of Green Pet Care and treats the pet with respect and decency during the entire process. He first weighs the pet for specific measurements and then freezes the pet until he is ready to aquamate the animal. The machine has to be calibrated to specific measurements, which is why he takes their weight and charges by weight of the animal. The machine can aquamate up to 14 small animals or up to 400 lbs at a time. There are separate slots if more than one pet is put in the aquamation machine. After that, the bones are dried, either naturally or by putting them into a conventional oven to speed up the process. There is a stainless steel tag that stays with the pet during the entire process to ensure that you get back your pet's ashes after the process is complete.

There are different services offered at Green Pet Care that range from private to communal. Private is where the owner gets the remains back and communal is disposed of respectfully. The turnaround takes 5 to 7 days to get the animal's ashes back and there are a variety of urns to choose from, as well as monuments and castings that can be placed in gardens or anywhere around the house in remembrance of the pet. "You will get the Rainbow Bridge prayer condolence card with an ink print of your pet's paw free of charge after the process. You can also pay $25 for a clay paw print of your pet's paw as well," said Richards. "Services are charged by weight of the animal and size of the urn you need, whether wood or metal. The options are unique and are a case by case basis." On top of aquamation, traditional burials with coffins are offered as well.

Green Pet Care is located in downtown Ferris at 209 W. 6th St. They also have a website to check out as well. Everyone knows how hard it is to lose a pet. Green Pet Care is a respectable business and Glyn, Jeremy, and Ben will ensure the process goes as smooth as possible, especially when dealing with the grief of losing a furry family member.