A Brief History of Peaceful Paws

Welcome to our new blog.  The purpose of this blog is to educate our families on Peaceful Paws and what we are all about!

I want to start off with a brief introduction of how my life path led me to Peaceful Paws.

From a very young age, animals have always held a special place in my heart.  Being an only child, they filled the place of the siblings I never had.

I had experienced losing pets throughout my life.  I vividly remember being a little girl and feeling the emptiness and sadness when driving home from the vet.  Nothing was worse than arriving at home and not hearing the familiar meows or seeing the wagging of the tail.

Growing up in Texas, my pets were always buried in my back yard.

Fast forward to 2005 and I am now living in San Diego and facing the loss of another pet.  I rush my 17 year old cat to the vet who unfortunately passed away en route.  Assuming all pets were cremated, I left my sweet cat there with a heavy heart. I came in a few months later with another pet and asked where they scattered my pet’s ashes.  After a blank stare from the front office staff, the veterinarian came out to speak with me.  Long story short, I was informed that unless I specifically requested for the ashes to be returned, my pet was sent to a rendering facility.  What?

For those of you who aren’t familiar with rendering it’s a “process that converts waste animal parts into stable, value-added materials”.  The by products end up in animal feed, oils, lubricants, soaps and other materials.  The vet was trying to explain that rendering was an affordable option and trying to convince me that is was a form of “recycling”.

As you can image, I was mortified and heartbroken.  My beloved cat ended up at a rendering plant?  You recycle cans and bottles not pets!  Had I been informed of my options, I would not have found myself in this situation.

This horrific experience led me to where I am now.  If this had happened to me, it must be happening to other families that didn’t ask the question.  Lesson learned….always ask questions!!  Educate yourself beforehand.  Prepare for the inevitable in advance.  We do it for our human companions…why not our pets?

Our goal from day one has been to be transparent, educate families on their options and give them comfort during one of the most difficult times as a pet parent.

At the time, I never could have imagined that such a horrible experience could result in something so positive and rewarding.  My staff and I are passionate about what we do.  We love working with families and providing them with the reassurance that they need.

Thanks for stopping by.  Our next topic will be “Questions to Ask Your Cremation Provider”.

~Vivianne