Heartland Pet Aquamation

05/08/2023

The Pitch recently published a great and wide-ranging article on pet loss and grief. They spoke to many great people in the Kansas City area, and included Heartland Pet Aquamation among the businesses!

Wayside Waifs pet cemetery. // Photo by Lauren Textor If the idea of your pet’s inevitable death makes you want to be sedated, you’re not alone. Even long-time deathcare professionals have difficulty navigating end-of-life decisions for beloved animal companions. Deciding on how to memorialize y...

04/22/2023

Heartland Pet Aquamation was recently profiled in the Platte County Citizen! They were great to talk to, and put together a very enthusiastic piece about the benefits of aquamation. I'm humbled by the wonderful reception, and glad that the message of a gentle, green process resonates with so many audiences.

As cremation increases as an alternative to body burial, there is now another choice that is gaining in popularity around the world, called aquamation, or alkaline hydrolysis.

01/03/2023

2023 marks the beginning of the third year of Heartland Pet Aquamation. Since opening, over 1,000 families have brought their loved ones here to give them a peaceful, dignified departure. It remains an enormous privilege to be entrusted with the final act of care for someone's beloved animals.

The ribbon pictured below was a gift to me from a client. It's a prayer ribbon with the Hawaiian funeral blessing "A hui hou" on the back, which means "Until we meet again." It's a beautiful reminder for me of the many opportunities to touch the lives of all the people who seek my care, and of the good things we can anticipate even after walking through our darkest times of grief and loss.

I cannot help but be touched by the thousands of individuals who have come to me and shared their stories. They tell me about their favorite memories with their dogs on family vacations, the long nights spent with their cat while recovering from the flu, or fascinating details from caring for tiny exotic pets. People come at their most vulnerable hour, and we share a brief opportunity to reflect on the meaning of sharing our lives with a special companion.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support. I am proud to be here in service to the families of Kansas City, and while I always wish you many years before you have need of me, I will be here until we meet again.

09/20/2022

My friend at R&R refurbished furniture to raise money for local critter causes, check out what's in stock and help animals in the area while you're doing it!

09/19/2022

I often say that my work has taught me the importance of petting the dogs in my life. Sharing affection with your loved ones is always time well spent. This is your Monday encouragement to and show some appreciation to all the critters who share their lives with you.

09/16/2022

I just barely beat the rain to drop off another load of donations for the KC Pet Project! Many of the families I serve choose to bequeath beds, blankets, and toys in good condition to local animals in need.

09/09/2022

I'm all for being festive, but I am professionally obligated to point out that this is not how ears work.

08/30/2022

I recently saw a dog who lost his life on the Bond Bridge over I-35. While I am a caretaker for departed animals, the safe and legal choice was to call city services to get the poor fellow out of the way.

If you have a pet in need of my services, I'm on call 24/7, but for animals you see on the roadside, you can reach the Kansas City services line at (816)-513-1313. They were quick, helpful, and kind, and I'm glad the tools we citizens need were simple to reach and easy to use.

07/12/2022

It's summer time, and I've got the kids with me in the breaks between summer school, summer camp, and the school year. Today, we stopped for drinks while getting gas, and my oldest son asked what I meant when I said a drink was carbonated. I told him it's got CO2 in it to make it fizzy, and he said, "Wait, isn't CO2 bad for the earth?"

That's a pretty big question.

He just turned 9, so I started explaining by scribbling pictures. I explained what greenhouses do, what the earth's atmosphere is, how changing the gasses in the atmosphere change the way heat and light interact with the planet, and how that changes the way our climate behaves over time.

I told him CO2 is a greenhouse gas since he now knew what that meant. I told him plants need it, and that we make it, and that it makes our drinks fizzy, but that we also took a lot of carbon out of the ground and put it in the air when we discovered fossil fuels. That's made things different, and means we have some big new questions to answer.

I got started with aquamation because I saw something that fulfilled a real need, but also divested from fossil fuel usage. Big parts of our lives (and my business!) still rely on fossil fuel usage, especially energy and transportation. The puzzle has a *lot* of pieces. We have many opportunities and alternatives to make our future the best it can be.

As a dad, I see conversations like this as one of my most important jobs. I might not be a good artist, but I'll use what skills and knowledge I have to contribute toward making a world we can leave to our children with courage and pride.

04/04/2022

Spring is here, and I have been waiting for pleasant weather to make a visit to KC Pet Project to make a donation. Today, I filled my entire van with clean, gently used bedding for pets in the community.

Many of the pets who come into my care come on beds and blankets, some of which return home with the urn as a memento. For families who choose not to keep the bed or blanket, I offer to donate them on behalf of their family and their departed loved ones.

Thanks to KC Pet Project for their convenient donation drop! Check out their page to see how you can help animals in Kansas City, or even adopt a new pet into your family.

01/02/2022

In choosing aquamation, Archbishop Desmond Tutu closes his life demonstrating that one can have immense impact on the world while also reducing our impact on the planet. He was a tireless advocate of human rights and climate activism, and championed more causes of social justice than can be adequately summarized in a single post.

For many people, this is the first time they've heard of aquamation, a water-based alternative to burial and flame cremation. Aquamation enables us to return our remains to the earth with a much smaller energy footprint and no direct carbon emissions. As an aquamation practitioner in Kansas City, I am always glad to educate and answer questions about the process. I strive to help people navigate end-of-life decisions and help them make the choices that best fit their values.

Do you have family or friends with questions about aquamation? This article is a terrific start, please share it and ask me any questions you have!

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who died last Sunday, chose to be aquamated, a more environmentally friendly alternative to cremation. It is 90% more energy efficient than a traditional cremation.