Holy smoke! Pet cemetery with a difference gives paws for thought

ASHES to ashes, dust to dust, Rusty to Dusty — an intrepid Kerry couple have come up with a novel way of sending your pet mutt to that great lamp post in the sky.

But it’s all very hot dog dignified, say Kathleen and her husband Eddie Griffin who are the proprietors of the Republic’s first pet crematorium.

And it’s not just for dogs, Pets to Rest, is also happy to turn the family cat, dog, parrot, hamster or rabbit into ‘cremains’.

Pets to Rest near Castleisland, was granted permission by Kerry County Council for “the thermal destruction of pets and small animals.”

The permission was given in October of last year for an initial period of seven years. There were no objections.

Kathleen Griffin said she and her husband Eddie Griffin, who is in the abbatoir business, saw an opening when they realised many people had no proper means of disposing of the family cat, dog, parrot, hamster or rabbit when their time came.

The central chamber includes a primary and secondary burner. The applicants were also required to have air pollution and waste disposal licences.

“We discovered people hadn’t anywhere dignified to send off their pet. This way it is properly disposed of, ” Ms Griffin said.

After carrying out research and visiting pet crematoriums in Britain, the Griffins came up with a plan and put their own stamp on it. Ms Griffin expects the pet crematorium service will take time to build up.

Prices start at around €100 and depend on the size of the animal, collection and other requests.