A Tamworth woman is opening the region’s first pet crematorium in a bid to ease the burden and decision making for owners who struggle to bury their pets.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Kerry Taylor’s mission to open the All Creatures Great and Small crematorium has been more than 16 years in the planning.
During that time Mrs Taylor has run a business transporting the bodies of local pets to crematoriums at other major cities, such as Newcastle, and returning their ashes to their owners.
Having noticed an increase in demand, Mrs Taylor said she believed there was a need for the service, and she got to work on opening the area’s own crematorium.
She said the crematorium itself is located at Quirindi but Mrs Taylor’s office is based in Kingswood outside of Tamworth.
“There has never been a pet crematorium in Tamworth and the closest would possibly be Newcastle,” she told The Leader.
“There is nothing like it here and the only options pet owners have is a home burial, which is not for everyone.
“If you do own the land where you live, you may not stay there and you would have to leave your pet buried in the back yard.
“The other alternative is for them to be left at the tip.
“We thought that was enough to warrant us to put in a crematorium.”
Mrs Taylor said the business also serviced clients from areas outside the Tamworth district, including Narrabri, Wee Waa, Moree and Gunnedah.
“We have sourced our cremator, which is purpose built for pets and it’s come from the US.
“Pets are regarded as part of the family. If you bury them and move you have to leave them behind, but if you move and they’re cremated, you can take the ashes with you wherever you go,” she said.
Mrs Taylor said the service had taken carriage of pet dogs, cats, chickens, lizards and rabbits, but was also capable of cremating most other types of pets except for horses.
