Formal Memorial / Funeral / Celebrations of Life Services
Why and the Importance of a Formal Funeral/Memorial/Celebration of Life for a Family Pet?
At Cherished Pets Funeral Home and Crematory, the owners and professional staff understand the healthy purpose of having a formal service with remembrance of a cherished pet. We know this might look different for each pet family, but at Cherished Pets, pet families NOW HAVE CHOICES beyond just direct cremation. As when a human loved one passes away, pet families can experience feelings of grief and loss.
As with our culture and traditions of celebrating special events in life such as births, birthdays, weddings, and graduations, funerals allow us to come together for support, with remembrance and giving last respects when a loved one passes. Funerals not only help us remember and give honor to our loved one, but also is an important part of the healthy grief journey psychologically and our cultural traditions. Formal services help us process and receive support of the loss of our pet family member.
Some might argue and scoff at remembering cherished pets through formal services, being ridiculous. Just the opposite. At Cherished Pets Funeral Home and Crematory, we understand that this is very much part of a healthy grief journey for the pet family. Those “tough guys” that scoff and laugh are the ones that can be found to be overcome with great grief and showing real tears when their own cherished pet passes away; sometimes showing more emotion and feeling greater loss of their faithful companion than with a human family member.
Dr. Ruth Ann’s parents facilitated, help form the purpose of and respect of the burial process of beloved cherished childhood pets. She fondly remembers a time when she was a very young child that the family cat passed away. The cat was placed in a shoebox, and laid to rest under the floral bush at the side of the family home – the actual funeral home where Dr. Ruth Ann was raised. There was quiet time and sharing of stories to remember the family cat at that time.
This tradition of remembering and caring for family pets from dogs and horses carried into Dr. Ruth Ann’s adulthood. Her family commonly does green burials on their property when a family pet passes away. Most recently, a cherished horse, Miss Grande, and cherished dog, Buddy, were laid side-by-side under a blooming cherry blossom tree on the family’s property.
The property was purchased and named for Miss Grande to live out of her life and have her babies. Unfortunately, Miss Grande passed all too soon after complications from having a premature foal. She is a permanent part of this property named for her.
Buddy passed in 2021 from the same cancer that Dr. Ruth Ann had. Buddy’s cancer was caught too late. He now guards the barn and road down to the family home.
The grief has been overwhelming, which you will often find Dr. Ruth Ann sharing the passing of these two cherished pets with tears flowing, even years later. But she is rest assured, with no guilt, that her family gave honor to the lives of these family cherished pets.
Richard also remembers memorializing family pets when he was younger. In his youth, under his father’s guidance, Richard made wooden burial boxes for many family pets. This continued into adulthood as he creates special wooden burial boxes for cherished pets.
FORMAL SERVICES OF REMEMBRANCE ARE HEALTHY AND NEEDED.
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Monday-Friday 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM or by appointment.
Need assistance or have questions,
call us at #417-366-PETS (7387)
(phones answered by a live person 24/7)
OR
Visit us at our location:
2021 West Walnut Lawn Street, Springfield, MO
Monday – Friday 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM.