WATERFORD'S first pet crematorium has opened its doors on the outskirts of Tramore, with the owners saying the aim is to provide a full and caring service to grieving pet owners.
'Resting Pets' is a family-run business owned by the Coady family and was inspired by the death of their own beloved Great Dane dog, Mason, last year.
The new facility, based in the Ballykinsella area, is the sixth pet crematorium in Ireland.
Owners, father and son Eamonn and Connor Coady, told Damien Tiernan on Deise Today that the family had invested 35,000 in the machinery for the facility.
The machine for cremating, they said, is clean and fuel efficient, with no fumes and was bought in from the UK.
The business will provide cremation for all pets whether it's dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, birds and other pets, with pricing depending on the size of the animal.
There is also an pet bereavement support service with a trained expert.
The family also have hopes to expand the business into the future, providing extra facilities like a 'farewell room' for people to spend time with their pets before the cremation takes place and possibly also a pet cemetery.
All pets are cremated individually. At the moment, people can see their pet enter the machine but they don't stay for the cremation itself. The ashes are returned to the family after cremation.
Connor Coady explained to Damien Tiernan that it was the experience of losing their own much-loved dog last year that inspired the family to set up the business.
"We had a Great Dane called Mason and we had to get him put to sleep in March of last year. He was brought to a pet hospital and at the time we felt we just weren't given enough options we were satisfied with as we would have had to wait four-five weeks if we were going down the cremation route. Dad said then why don't we start our own service."
Eamonn Coady said there are 475,000 dogs licenced in Ireland and so a very big demand there.
He acknowledged cremation (generally) was not a preference for everyone but even human cremation was becoming the norm.
"In the UK, most animals are cremated," he said. "And it will happen here too."
You can find full details of the service provided by Resting Pets by visiting their website www.restingpets.ie or their various social media pages.
Meanwhile, you can listen back to the full piece on Deise Today this morning with Eamonn and Connor Coady by clicking below here...
