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Margaret Houtman faced death more closely than usual this week. As co-owner of Pet Memorial Services, she's used to attending to departed pets and helping their owners through the grieving process. But Wednesday, she lost her own dog: a 13-year-old Shiba Inu named Misha. Misha's death wasn't entirely unexpected given her age, but it still hit Margaret hard. ''“I thought it would be easier; I'd pick out my favorite urn in our display room and that would be that. But I still haven't decided what to do for her. It just proves that you're never truly prepared.''
Jesse Piersol
One of Pet Memorial Services’ offerings is the “attended service,” where a family can visit with their departed pet in the facility’s main room. When they feel ready, their pet is moved into the crematory in an adjacent room. The cremation process takes about two hours, and family members can view the process, if they wish, from a small ancillary room. This option may seem unnerving at first, but Margaret believes that information about the process ultimately provides comfort to families. “Coming here is a learning experience for a lot of people. When they imagine cremation, they imagine their pet in a fiery pit, which isn’t accurate. Cremation is more like being baked in an oven. It’s a peaceful process.” Margaret leads me around the corner into the next room and opens the door to the crematory, which looks like a big brick oven inside. She sticks her hand in, and invites me to do the same. It is still warm from a service earlier in the afternoon. “That’s really the hottest it gets,” she tells me.
Prepared or not, pet owners today have a host of options for what to do with their departed pets, including specialty funeral services. Pet Memorial Services has been offering an assortment of funeral services just for pets since 1996. In their facility on Turner Lane, they offer custom funerals, as well as basic services, all tailored to the needs and wishes of their customers. The vibe of the place is serene and casual. A cascading waterfall fountain hangs on a wall. Pet portraits from local artists grace the corridors. Margaret greets me with an effervescent smile, wearing a soft gray sweater and boots. “We don’t do suit and tie here,” she explains. “We like it to feel comfortable, a place you can relax and be with your pet.”
February 2014 D thewcpress.com february
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