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Three Things You Want Want To Do Before Your Pet's Cremation

When your pet passes away, one of your main priorities will be to take the animal to a local pet cremation service. A lot of people arrange the details of the cremation prior to their pet's death, but this obviously isn't possible if the pet has died in an accident. Whatever the case, the staff at the cremation service will walk you through this process and help you to understand the next steps for your pet. At this time, you may also wish to perform a few small tasks before you see your pet's body for the last time. Here are three ideas.

Take A Hair Clipping

Some people will wish to take a clipping of the pet's hair for safekeeping. If you have a long-haired cat or dog and you've always enjoyed the look and soft texture of the animal's hair, you might like to have a small sample that you can keep in a special place in your home. Choose a specific part of hair on your pet's body, carefully snip some off with a pair of scissors, and then place it in an envelope. There are a few different things you can do with the hair in the future, but the main thing is to get it before cremation.

Make A Pawprint

Another step that you may wish to take to remember your pet is to make a pawprint of the animal. There are all sorts of different ways that you can do this. One option is to place a small amount of paint on the animal's foot pads, and then press the foot against a piece of paper or cardstock. You can do this as many times as you'd like — perhaps doing it once for each member of your family. Another option is to press the foot into some putty that you can eventually harden to create a special memento.

Remove The Collar

You'll want to think about the pet's collar. While some people may wish to leave the collar on the animal during cremation — after removing the tags — another option is to remove the collar now. Having the collar may be special for you in the weeks and months ahead. Some people will tuck the collar away into a drawer and occasionally look at it, but there are other options. For example, if you anticipate keeping your pet's cremated remains in an urn in your home, you may want to also place the collar in this area with a picture of the pet.

Contact a pet cremation service for more information.