Best friends forever: Funeral home offers pet cremation service

For nearly 12 years, Guthrie was Frank and Ann Aichinger's best pal and constant companion, so when the black Labrador mix became terminally ill in September, the couple decided to do everything possible to make his remaining days comfortable.

When Guthrie died on Oct. 7, it was the Aichingers who needed comforting.

"We knew we had done the best we could for him, but it was still a difficult time," Ann Aichinger said.

The couple, co-pastors of New Vision Presbyterian Church in Conover, needed closure. They found it through a new service offered by Jenkins Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Newton.

Jenkins, a 5-year-old mortuary firm founded by Carl and Lori Jenkins, began offering Forever Paws Pet Cremations in September.

Forever Paws specializes in pet cremations, but also offers caskets and vaults, monuments and markers and graveside services for dogs, cats, birds and other household pets.

Carl Jenkins, a 26-year veteran of the funeral industry, said he first began considering offering pet services a couple of years ago when he and his wife adopted a new puppy.

One evening, Lori was cuddling with Tisha (short for Morticia) on the sofa and commented that she didn't know what she would do if anything happened to the dachshund/terrier mix.

"Having not ever heard those words come from her mouth about her husband, I began to realize just how important this little newcomer to our family was to her," said Jenkins, himself a long-time dog lover.

During the next two years, Jenkins researched the pet funeral services industry and considered options. He also became more convinced it was a need that was not adequately being met in the Catawba Valley.

Most area people who want to have their pets cremated contract the service through a veterinary clinic.

Veterinary clinics in this area typically charge $50 to $100 (depending on weight) for communal cremation, with no return of ashes. For cremation with return of ashes, clinics typically charge $75 to $220.

People who want to bury their pets usually do so themselves on private property. Others seek the services of businesses like Pet Heaven Cemetery and Crematory in Cherryville, which Mark and Dawn Mauney have operated since 1993. Located in Gaston County, Pet Heaven offers one of the few commercial pet cemeteries in western North Carolina. It is the closest one to Hickory.

Carl Jenkins considered offering a pet cemetery along with cremation services, but decided against it.
"The real need is for pet cremation, so that's what we're concentrating on," he said.

Complete Forever Paws cremation service — including removal of the pet's body from a local veterinary clinic, delivery of cremains and basic plastic urn — costs $275.

Complete service including removal from local clinic, delivery of cremains with a personalized, engraved, cultured marble urn, costs $470.

Other services — including removal of a pet from the home and after-hours office visits — are available at additional charges.

Carl Jenkins said the funeral home will probably have its own pet crematory eventually, but for now it contracts pet cremations through a crematory in Charlotte.

He and Lori Jenkins said that what sets Forever Paws services apart from those offered by veterinary clinics is the level of personalized care.

They said Forever Paws uses a specially designed container for transportation and cremation (no plastic bags) and offers same-day transportation from home or clinic (no freezer storage).

And foremost, Carl Jenkins said, "You have our assurance that each pet is cremated individually, so the ashes you receive are the ashes of your pet."

Since initiating Forever Paws, Jenkins Funeral Home has handled several dog cremations and has assisted with a dog burial.

Carl Jenkins believes the service will grow.

"What we're hearing is a lot of gratitude that someone in this area is offering these services," Jenkins said.

Such people include the Aichingers.

"It's a real gift to families who lose a beloved pet," Ann Aichinger said.

"It helps in a difficult time."