Hart’s Petuary among many pet crematories in Middle Georgia

By Megan Rosinko

Interest in the pet cremation industry is on the rise. In 2015, BBC News published an article detailing the growth of this industry in the United Kingdom as well as the United States.

Macon and Warner Robins each have their own resident pet crematorium; Hart’s Petuary, an extension of Hart’s Mortuary off of Zebulon Rd, and Pet Plantation Funeral Home & Crematory.

There are six additional pet crematories between Covington and McDonough.

“Some people don’t realize how big pet cremations are; and how wonderful it is for us to still have them with us but in a different way,” Vicki Brown, manager of Hart’s Petuary, said.

Hart’s Petuary was started in 2001, after Hart’s Mortuary had received numerous phone calls asking if Hart’s had any services for animals.

“Seeing that there could be a demand for it, we started looking around and there actually was one in town so we actually purchased that one…so July first of 2001 we began Hart’s Petuary,” Milton Heard, president of Hart’s Petuary, said.

The Petuary offers a variety of services, ranging from removal and cremation, to burial services and commemorative gifts.

“We have three hearses that we use for Hart’s Petuary,” Heard said. “We have smaller stretchers, so everything is kind of scaled down for the pets.”

Although most of Hart’s operations are handled during the day, they are available 24 hours just like a funeral home.

“Probably the saddest time is when someone brings their pet and they’ve lost their loved one and they have been living their lost loved one out in that pet, and so when they lose that pet they are totally devastated,” Brown said.

Aside from their traditional services, Hart’s Petuary also offers special recognition for military service animals.

“We lay a flag on top of the dog when we make the removal and then we present the flag back to the pet owner’s family…we’ve done quite a few. And it’s very emotional. It’s emotional for them and it’s emotional for us to see the respect and to see the love that they have for that companion dog that has helped them through so many times,” Brown said.

There are many parallels between the job of working in a mortuary and working at a pet crematory.

“We want the general public to come to the Petuary to see our level of compassion that we have for the pets but it also is the same for the human side and vice versa,” Heard said.

The human connection to their pets can be a very emotional one. And the process of pet cremation can help in the healing process after losing one.