When pets pass on
From taxidermy to ashes, meet two pioneers in animal commemoration
When a loved one passes away, certain steps surrounding their death start to take motion. However, when it comes to the death of our four-legged furry friends, according to experts in the field, many people who are left grieving don’t know what to do.
Luckily, there are different services available within reach of Montreal for pet owners who want a special way to commemorate their loved ones: pet cremation and pet taxidermy.
Founded in 1998, Pet friends is a cremation service for animals only. Situated in Vaudreuil, Pet friends handles the death of animals with as much care as they would people, accompanying their customers through the different steps and the overall grieving process.
“These days, a lot of young couples don’t have children, they have pets,” said Averil Robinson, founder and CEO of Pet friends. “And when they pass away, it feels like their child dying.”
Robinson explained that the first thing one should do when a pet passes away is to reach out to them so that they can explain what the next steps are, and schedule a pickup of their pet, and talk about how the family would like to proceed. Pet friends also works closely with Vet Mobile to assist customers with larger pets.
“A lot of people, when they live through the hardest day of having to put their pets down—or the pet simply passes away—[they] are not informed on what they can do with the body and the services available to them. For a lot of people, the services out there are also a luxury that’s not affordable,” Robinson said.
Robinson explained how Pet friends passionately cares for their departed special family members, giving their customers the choice to be present for the cremation, having their pets cremated with their favorite toys or blankets and making the point that each pet is a different case. Their office also has a family room, and a lot of their clients end up writing obituaries which helps with the grieving process.
“When I started this business 25 years ago, everybody laughed and said it would be useless,” Robinson said. “If you look on our website, we have so many beautiful testimonies [...] We had a family that flew in their dog from Northwest Territories to use our services.”
For each cremation service customers pay for, a part of the money goes to the Lucy fund, a Canadian not-for-profit created by Robinson. The Lucy fund goes to pet owners who can’t afford high veterinarian bills and could save the lives of their pets, lending an element of life in a business intertwined with death.
Another method that can help to keep the essence of your animal—add some artistry—is taxidermy.
Melissa Baril is the creative mind behind May Jackalope taxidermy, a service not like others.
Situated in Sainte-Béatrix, Baril’s atelier is filled with glamorous dead animals. Some are spray painted in bright colors, others wearing diamonds, eradicating any feelings of uneasiness or darkness around the death of those animals.
“When people think of taxidermy, they think of hunting trophies, deer heads and big grizzly bears placed in scary positions. That’s not my work at all,” Baril said.
Baril has always been a taxidermy fanatic and collector. She started her business back in 2015. Baril started practicing on rabbit skins acquired from breeders, explaining that those rabbits were only used for their meat and their skin was going to go to waste anyway.
Baril’s “Jack” is what she calls her specialty: A rabbit’s head with deer antlers placed on a wall.
“I started creating unique pieces and specialized in my ‘Jacks,’ as I was the only one designing those at the time. People really liked it and started asking for custom pieces. [...] I let myself be creative with those,” said Baril.
Baril explained that taxidermy is already so rare, and primarily a result of hunting, therefore, people who want house pets taxidermied go through her.
“I am an empath; I feel people’s grief when they come to me with their pets,” Baril said.
When it comes to the memorial services Baril offers, she said that customers will ask her to recreate their best friends in various positions: sleeping, sitting, on their beds and beyond.
“It’s important to know that if you would want a taxidermy of your pet, as soon as it dies, you need to put it in the freezer, as the skin will start to decompose. [...] I hate to have to turn people away, this process is very emotional for people,” Baril said.
Brigitte Malette and Billy D’alessandro contacted Baril about their late cat Mims. They said to her that they would like to have their black and white cat on the piano in their home, where she used to sit.
“Even though it’s not the same as having [Mims] alive, it’s like her presence is still there and that feels nice,” Malette said.
This article originally appeared in Volume 44, Issue 5, published October 31, 2023.
