Pet cremation takes off in Kerry

PARTING with a much- loved pet can be traumatic, but there are ways of easing the pain.

Pet cremation, long practised in Britain and other countries, is slowly beginning to take hold here, according to Kerry couple Eddie and Kathleen Griffin, who run what is believed to be the first such service in the Republic.

Operating for the past two years out of Cordal, near Castleisland, most of their business has been from English people or people from other countries living here.

But Kathleen Griffin said: “As more Irish people become aware of the service, more of them are using it.”

A person’s loneliness after losing a pet can be eased by the knowledge that their life-long friend has been treated with dignity and respect, she said.

Ashes can also be returned to the owner in an inscribed wooden casket, or urn.

“A thought that often struck me when I saw pets wandering around the roads was what happened to them. There had to be ways of dealing with them other than taking them to the pound,” she said.

“Some people bury their pets and others throw them into bins. But if other options were available, I feel many people would use them.”

Before setting up their Pets to Rest company, the Griffins travelled to England to do some research.

“British people are well known for their deep attachment to their pets and cremation has been established there for a long time. We learnt a lot during a visit to Carlisle,” Ms Griffin said.

“We also did some research on the internet and spoke to vets who told us a service was needed here.”

It’s mainly dogs and, to a lesser extent, cats that the Griffins cremate and they get the occasional hamster or rabbit. They collect dead pets throughout Munster, but are prepared to go anywhere in the country.

Eddie uses a refrigerated van for collection and both group and individual cremations are carried out at Cordal pets-only crematorium.

Collection and cremation costs generally range from €100 to €200, for animals collected within a reasonable distance. An individual cremation and return of the ashes of a small dog costs around €170, for example.