A new pet service opened in Austin this month, reports Texas Standard, but this is no ordinary kennel or groomer. The new business is the Pet Loss Center of Austin.
After working in the human funeral service industry, co-founder Coleen Ellis started the business after she lost her dog Miko. So Ellis created what she wanted: a pet funeral home. At the Pet Loss Center, there are visitation rooms and a wall of urns, as well as memorial jewelry and decorative stones available for purchase. And in the back area, pet cremations take place. Owners can have their pet’s ashes placed in a decorative urn, or a have a nose print memorialized on a necklace.
The Pet Loss Center says it honors any type of pet. In addition to Austin, there are now two locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and one in Florida.
Listen to Texas Standard's story below:
