Consumers in the UK Spend a Fortune on Memorializing Pets
Article originally appeared on Daily Mail
At the Penwith Pet Crematorium, one of roughly 50 pet cemeteries across Britain, bereaved owners even have the option of being buried next to their animals.
Established in 1988, the memorial garden is set on a beautiful plot of landscaped land near Penzance, Cornwall, which is dotted with tasteful sculptures and moving tributes to late pets.
Inside the crematorium, photographs are pinned on to a noticeboard and there is a dog basket in the chapel of rest.
TV chef Rick Stein’s beloved jack russell Chalky was cremated at the Penwith Pet Crematorium
Permanent: Dogs, horses and guinea pigs are among the animals that have been laid to rest, with some resting places marked by stone heads
An average of 200 animals a week are cremated at Penwith, double the number a decade ago. The business growth is part of a global trend that has seen the ‘pet loss’ industry boom in recent years.
According to the Sunday Times, TV chef Rick Stein’s beloved jack russell Chalky was cremated there.
The newspaper reports how a couple from Chester recently had their goldfish cremated at ‘Pet Funeral Services’ in Holywell, Flintshire – one of 200 such services the facility carries out each month.
Memorial: A moving tribute on a headstone for a pet named Prince, left, and pictures and poems displayed inside Penwith Pet Crematorium
Staff reportedly placed the fish in a ‘tiny casket’ and reported that the owners were ‘very happy’ with the service.
David Coombs, from the Rosevean veterinary practice in Penzance, Cornwall, told the Sunday Times: ‘As vets dealing with these things everyday we sometimes underestimate how emotional the death of a pet is for people.
‘It is a great comfort to be able to tell a client that this service is available. It is the last service we are able to do for the small animals we care for and we can do it with dignity.’
