Having just entered our 5th year in business, Life Cycle Pet Cremation, Inc. is evolving to better meet the needs of our clients and community. We’ve experienced strong and consistent growth and are expanding with aquamation services (while continuing to offer pet cremation). Aquamation produces less carbon dioxide and pollutants, but the end result is the same – the pet’s body is reduced to bone. We believe aquamation will be an attractive option to pet parents who care about the environment. Once our aquamation machine is operational (mid-2018), we will provide a comparison chart for pet parents – cleanly illustrating [...]

Floating Lantern Pet Memorial 2016 took place just a little over one month ago on September 11th at Bloedel Donovan Park in Bellingham, WA. The event was sponsored by Life Cycle Pet Cremation and organized by yours truly. It has taken me more than one month and several drafts of this blog to adequately put my thoughts about the event into words. In retrospect, only one word is needed: release. As the director of a pet-only funeral home and cremation service, most of the time I interact with clients in their moment of need – just before, or immediately after, [...]

In early 2013, when Life Cycle Pet Cremation was still under development, a wise friend who had retired from the military suggested that we offer complimentary cremation for military dogs. It was a great idea that we expanded on, as noted on our Discounts web page: Military Dogs: Any dog who served in one of the following organizations is eligible for a complimentary private cremation with full after-care package. Proof of service required. U.S. armed forces (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard) U.S. Border Patrol Whatcom, Skagit or Island County police or sheriff department Last month (June [...]

Join us for Floating Lantern Pet Memorial 2016! On the evening of Sunday, June 5, 2016, photographer Diane Padys of Diane Padys Photography volunteered to meet me at Bloedel Donovan Park to photograph an example of the new floating lantern for Floating Lantern Pet Memorial 2016. At 9:00 p.m. the beach was still full of families and their dogs, enjoying the warmth of the day that was stretching into dusk. Lying prone on blankets at the edge of the lake, Diane graciously dealt with curious dogs and children while taking photos for almost an hour. As the light [...]

Shortly after Life Cycle opened for business in October 2013, a woman (we’ll call her Natalie) contacted me. Natalie was clearly elderly and in ill health, but she was still spunky and positive about life.  She didn’t know how long she had to live, but she knew for certain that she would outlive her beloved and also aging cocker spaniel (who we will call Remy). After speaking with me at length, Natalie placed Life Cycle’s brochure, along with instructions to use our service for Remy, with a copy of her will. When Natalie passed away, and then Remy passed away, [...]

  Elsa Back at the end of September, a client paid me an extremely high compliment. Arshia Fathali and his wife Heather (owners of Fairhaven Rug Gallery) selected Life Cycle Pet Cremation for the honor of providing after-care for their Doberman Pinscher, Elsa.  Anyone who has ever been to the Rug Gallery has inevitably met Elsa. They may have even had the pleasure of seeing her regally decked out in the tribal necklace that she loved to wear, and that suited her naturally regal appearance so perfectly. After bringing Elsa to our facility and then spending time with [...]

Scattering cremated remains is a practice as old as cremation itself, and something that about one-third of pet parents opt to do in memory of their pet. I love it when pet parents share their plans for scattering their pet’s cremated remains. The ideas are always meaningful, and usually the plan is still under consideration. That’s one of the great things about cremation—you can take as long as you like to decide when, where and even how to do the scattering. The Washington State guidelines for scattering pet cremated remains are the same as for human cremated remains. According to [...]

While at the Seattle Pet Expo one month ago (June 20, 2015), I came across a booth for a professional pet sitting company in Seattle that was so well put together, and had such great materials, that I just had to stop and compliment the owner. Once he discovered my main occupation (pet after-care), he asked, "What can I say when a pet I've cared for dies? What do I say to the client?" It got me thinking. When a pet dies, there are general guidelines about what all of us should consider saying (and not saying) to a grieving [...]

Driving down Fairhaven Parkway, it's hard to miss the signs in front of Fairhaven Veterinary Hospital advertising flea prevention. In fact, these not-so-gentle reminders have been there for a while (a few months already?) and with good reason. Recent mild winters have resulted in a major flea problem in our neck-of-the-woods. Why would a pet funeral director be concerned about fleas? First, I'm a pet parent. Second, I care about my clients. Third, I know first hand that there's a local problem, because a number of deceased but still flea-infested pets have come through our doors. Fleas must be taken [...]

A few months ago it was my privilege to provide after-care for an 18-year-old male orange tabby. The tabby's death hit his human mom very hard. The day after her cat's death she couldn't stand to be in the house. Even though her other cats were extra cuddly, the void left by the orange tabby, her "little man," was profound. He had been the vocal one. The boss. A strong and constant presence. I heard a similar story from the mom of a sweet male lab. She too reported that the day after his death was especially painful -- much [...]

I have an elderly cat named Emma, a tiny DSH tuxedo whose "boxing weight" was 9 lbs, but who today weighs around 5 lbs. Technically she's a family pet, but really...I have no problem claiming her as "mine." She was adopted when I was a singleton, 19 years ago, one month before I met my husband, Bill. She is a bridge between my past life and the present. Emma has always been confident but cool. Steely but sweet. She is the kind of cat who is liked by people who don't usually like cats. She has always been the boss [...]

The grief experienced by a human when they lose a pet is just as profound, and just as devastating, as the loss of a human friend or family member. Grief that is triggered by the death of a pet often results in a disruption of normal functioning. A grieving pet parent's brain can be "fried," making them feel confused and vulnerable. It's not uncommon for grieving pet parents to be debilitated for days after the loss of a pet. Often a pet parent will willingly spend thousands of dollars on their pet, but they won't invest in a little time [...]