03/08/2025
I’m sorry to bring up something that’s difficult to think about — but if you share your life with a pet, I believe it’s something really important to know. 💛
The end of your pet’s life, and what happens next: pet cremation and the choices available to you.
A few years ago, I lost my little chihuahua, Tilly. We couldn’t bury her at home — our garden was all patio, and a relatives beautiful field we’d used previously for our pet burials wasn’t suitable anymore. The only option I had was to opt for cremation.
My lovely vets kindly helped me to arrange it all through a 3rd party pet crematorium but the individual cremation option was sadly too expensive for me at the time. I had to choose the “joint cremation” option where she would be cremated with other pets and the ashes then scattered in the fields at the crematorium. That brought a little comfort knowing she would be spread in their fields, but of course due to the option I had chosen… I had no ashes returned to me and no burial site either — except I did have a beautiful paw print keepsake which my vets very kindly did for me, but I was left with a huge sense of emptiness for a long while afterwards.
Then in 2022, I suddenly lost my beloved chihuahua Poppy. Someone recommended Greenhill Pet Cremation Services and I contacted them the morning she passed to ask what the steps would be if I want to use them. From the very first conversation, Jenny was kind, compassionate, and gave me so many thoughtful choices.
Greenhill arranged it all for me and collected Poppy from the vets that same day.
Two days later, they hand-delivered her ashes back to me in the most thoughtful and beautiful little bag. ❤️🐾🪽
This time I felt I got the closure I needed, and a little while later, my friend even had jewellery made from some of Poppys ashes for my 30th birthday and the necklace is something I’ll treasure forever.
Greenhill is a small, family-run business and the difference in care, value, and dignity was night and day. They also don’t do mass cremations at all, only individual cremations.
Since then, they’ve helped us through the losses this year of our cat Rizz and most recently, our sweet little Skye 💙 — always with the same gentle kindness. They also took Becky’s dog Enzo on his final journey this year too. 🌈
I just wish I’d known about them when I lost Tilly and understood how it all works and this is why I’m sharing this now — in case it helps even one person feel more informed and less overwhelmed when the time comes.
Remember:
🐾 You do have choices.
🐾You don’t have to go with the crematorium your vet can offer to put you in touch with, and I am sure your veterinary practice would be very willing to answer any questions you have if you want to ask anything. ❤️
🐾You CAN ask your vet to hold onto your pet for you while you make your decision.
Some of the cremation services that are offered through vets do still offer individual cremations… but they can be much more expensive and the experience can be much less personal compared to independent pet crematoriums.
In those moments of grief, it truly matters who is looking after your beloved pet. And I will always be thankful for Greenhill and the care they gave to Poppy, Rizz and Skye.
If you ever need them, their details are here:
🌐 www.greenhillpetcremation.co.uk
📞 07740 103 393
And if you ever want to ask questions about this kind of thing, please message us — we’re always happy to help in any way we can.
💛 Starting from next week, we’ll be quietly offering something special at the salon. We will be keeping pet safe ink in stock so that in certain sensitive cases, we can offer to take paw prints for elderly or unwell dogs during their groom. This won’t be a routine service — it’s just something that we want to have available in those more difficult moments. If it’s ever something you’d like to arrange, please do speak to us privately.💛
Sending love to all who have loved and lost a furry best friend and family member. 🌈
Thank you for reading — and apologies again for the sad post, but I truly hope this information helps someone in their time of need.
Katie and team
