Furever Friends - Pet Cremation Service

By Chris Valli

The loss of an animal companion is unique to any other kind of loss from death. The grief is profound. Pets are not more or less meaningful in our lives than humans.

Cue Furever Friends.

Owned by Blenheim husband and wife duo Walter and Gemma Amsler, the cremation business opened in August 2016.

Being pet owners themselves, they understand that losing a pet can be overwhelming. They both own a dog and a cat but are looking to add to their ‘fur family’ in the not too distant future.

Gemma says the idea of a pet cremation business came about after learning of friends sending their own beloved pets to Christchurch or Nelson for cremation which Gemma says was something they did not want for their own pets.

“After a few discussions with the vets here in Marlborough we decided to go ahead and begin our journey to start our own cremation service,” says Gemma.

So what reaction do they get from people when mentioning their line of work?

Gemma says once the conversation begins they take care of each pet like it is their own, people reiterate it is a wonderful service to provide at a time of great sadness and grief.

“The most important thing we get asked is, will it be our own pet’s ashes? We cremate every pet individually, they have their own unique log number which goes with them through the cremation process to guarantee no confusion of ashes.”

The business provides and offers two types of wooden urns made from mahogany and totara which are sustainably sourced and hand crafted in New Zealand. Otherwise, ashes can be returned in a black cardboard urn.

Gemma is adamant that owning a pet