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Losing a loved one can be traumatic — even if that loved one has four paws or feathers.
“Emotionally, losing a pet can be very comparable to other types of grief,” said Joel Vandemore, owner of Vandemore Funeral Homes and Cremation Services in Geneseo.
To help grieving pet owners deal with their loss, Vandemore has opened Vandemore Pet Cremations, which offers pet cremation services, as well as pet caskets, grave markers, urns and more.
“I’ve been thinking about doing this for the last four years. What really prompted it was in one year I had three or four funerals where families requested pet ashes be put in the casket. That same year, I had two close friends who lost pets and wanted my help taking care of the pet,” he said.
Though pet cremation is offered at sites in Iowa, it’s an offering lacking on the Illinois side of the river. “In Illinois, you’d have to travel 80 miles or more to get to a pet crematorium,” he said.
Vandemore said he decided to open a pet crematorium in order to offer a needed service to his customers.
A 1,300-square foot addition was added to Vandemore’s Geneseo location. The new space includes a display room, which features pet urns, caskets and grave markers, as well as office space, a garage bay and space for the retort, the machine which does the actual cremation.
“We wanted the pet crematory business to have its own identity separate from the funeral home. We have a completely separate entrance, so those coming with a pet never have to feel they’re intruding on a funeral,” he said.
The pet cremation retort is capable of handling animals weighing up to 300 pounds. “The machine itself is only for pets and cannot be used for humans,” said Vandemore.
Though he does plan to add a retort for human remains in the near future, Vandemore said “the machines will be separate, and there absolutely will be no co-mingling.”
He said pet owners are also able to be present during the cremation and, depending upon their comfort level, either watch through a viewing window or be in the room with the retort itself.
“Anybody who ever has questions about what our facility is like, is more than welcome to come and view it. We have zero to hide, and they can walk through and inspect the facility or the retort any time they’d like,” he said. “We take pride in running a business that’s impeccably clean, impeccably professional and impeccably modern.
Losing a loved one can be traumatic — even if that loved one has four paws or feathers.
“Emotionally, losing a pet can be very comparable to other types of grief,” said Joel Vandemore, owner of Vandemore Funeral Homes and Cremation Services in Geneseo.
To help grieving pet owners deal with their loss, Vandemore has opened Vandemore Pet Cremations, which offers pet cremation services, as well as pet caskets, grave markers, urns and more.
“I’ve been thinking about doing this for the last four years. What really prompted it was in one year I had three or four funerals where families requested pet ashes be put in the casket. That same year, I had two close friends who lost pets and wanted my help taking care of the pet,” he said.
Though pet cremation is offered at sites in Iowa, it’s an offering lacking on the Illinois side of the river. “In Illinois, you’d have to travel 80 miles or more to get to a pet crematorium,” he said.
Vandemore said he decided to open a pet crematorium in order to offer a needed service to his customers.
A 1,300-square foot addition was added to Vandemore’s Geneseo location. The new space includes a display room, which features pet urns, caskets and grave markers, as well as office space, a garage bay and space for the retort, the machine which does the actual cremation.
“We wanted the pet crematory business to have its own identity separate from the funeral home. We have a completely separate entrance, so those coming with a pet never have to feel they’re intruding on a funeral,” he said.
The pet cremation retort is capable of handling animals weighing up to 300 pounds. “The machine itself is only for pets and cannot be used for humans,” said Vandemore.
Though he does plan to add a retort for human remains in the near future, Vandemore said “the machines will be separate, and there absolutely will be no co-mingling.”
He said pet owners are also able to be present during the cremation and, depending upon their comfort level, either watch through a viewing window or be in the room with the retort itself.
“Anybody who ever has questions about what our facility is like, is more than welcome to come and view it. We have zero to hide, and they can walk through and inspect the facility or the retort any time they’d like,” he said. “We take pride in running a business that’s impeccably clean, impeccably professional and impeccably modern.
“State regulations on crematoriums are so stringent, that they must meet regulations and standards. There are never any emissions, and the retort has zero impact on the community,” he said.
Both Vandemore and Brett VanDeWoestyne, who serves as director of cremation operations for the business, are certified by the Cremation Association of North America.
Vandemore Pet Cremations also is one of the original members of the Professional Pet Loss Association of America, an organization for companies offering pet cremation.
When a pet dies or is euthanized at a veterinarians office, Vandemore or VanDeWoestyne will travel to the office to collect the pet. Animals dying at home can also be collected by Vandemore Pet Cremations.
“Pet owners can also bring the animal directly to our office,” said Vandemore.
For animals to be cremated, owners have two options. The pet can be communally cremated with other animals or privately cremated.
With communal cremation, pet owners do not receive ashes. However, they will receive a cremation certificate specifying the date of cremation.
During private cremations, only that pet is cremated. In addition to receiving their pet’s ashes, owners who select private cremation also will receive a cremation certificate, stamped with their pet’s paw print.
For those who want to bury their pet instead of cremate it, Vandemore Pet Cremations offers a line of pet caskets in varying sizes.
Pet grave markers, which are created in-house at Vandemore Pet Cremations, also are available.
Any animal 300 pounds or less can be cremated. “We anticipate doing a lot of dogs and cats, and maybe birds or bunnies,” said Vandemore. However cremation is available for all small pets, including reptiles and rodents.
The cremation itself takes between 45 minutes and an hour and a half, depending on the size of the animal, said VanDeWoestyne.
Vandemore said the goal of Vandemore Pet Cremations is to offer grieving pet owners compassion in line with that offered by local vets.
“I don’t think you could find a more professional, knowledgeable, expert group of vets as we have in our area. The No. 1 comment we hear from pet owners is how wonderful their vet has been to them,” he said.
“With us, there’s a trust factor as well. People have turned to us to handle their family funerals. We have a reputation for the highest standards in what we practice, and we want to continue that with the pets,” said Vandemore. “We feel this is an extension of the services we can offer to families. They turn to us with their loved ones, and they can turn to us with their pet loved ones as well.”
“Just because it’s a pet doesn’t make it any less of a loss,” said VanDeWoestyne.
Vandemore Pet Cremations is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and on Saturdays by chance. A 24-hour phone line for Vandemore Pet Cremations can be reached at 944-1498. For more information, visit www.vandemorepetcremations.com.
The Vandemore Pet Cremations office entrance is located on the east side of Vandemore Funeral Home’s Geneseo location.
