Passages Pet Cremation & Grief Center Inc

Found this place to be compassionate, caring and comforting in a time of grief. Was truly sympathetic for what we were going through. Described what she was doing and what would be happening during the process. Putting down a pet companion (17 years in this case) is not something I would like to experience again but if so, recommend Passages for the professional way it was handled.

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It all went great.

everything fine

Our cat Buddy was dying of kidney disease.  The Doctor came to our home to euthanize him so that his last moments wouldn't be riding in a car (which he hated) and dying in a vet's office.  She was very kind and gentle with us and explained everything that would occur. She gave us the option of being with Buddy when he went which, I believe, made it even easier for him and us.  She took the time to pet Buddy and let him get comfortable with her presence. She also took extra time to ensure that he was truly gone and never rushed any part of the process.
She showed such great respect, understanding and compassion for us and for Buddy that she will never be forgotten.  The way she treated Buddy you would think that he was her special cat too.  She took his body when we were ready.  We never felt like we were just another customer but almost like we were family.  At Passages they have a wide away of containers for the remains and other momentos that help memorialize a wonderful friend.  Passages took every step imaginable to make a most difficult loss something that contains good memories as well.  Memories of a peaceful passing and an end to suffering for our Buddy.

As I mentioned above, the cats died in an arson fire in an apartment building. The fire fighters were so good about taking the remains to Animal Control, with each animal in a bag and a note of where it was found. The woman at Animal Control was so compassionate when dealing with the people who had lost everything except for the clothes on their back, and the to have their beloved pets die as well. She was the one who recommended this facility. The fire displaced many low income families, however, many people in the community showed a lot of kindness in response.

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Shortly after our aged collie died in mid-winter, we contacted Dr. Espey, DVM, having seen a wonderful Anchorage Daily News article last year about her service in the Mat-Su valley. While I was not aware of the winter storage option, and we could not initially afford the $150 estimate to cremate our dog's remains, storing her body in a snow bank during periodic late winter thaws became increasingly impractical. There are grizzly and black bears that overwinter in our area. Three weeks later, Dr. Espey not only remembered the earlier phone call, but agreed to assist us after hours when we were to arrive that evening. We had no difficulty locating her business on the corner directly across the street from Palmer Junior Middle School. There is a large business sign on the corner and her metal industrial garage is set back from the street. While the outside is rather austere this time of year, once inside the front door, we felt welcomed into a standard, pleasant office environment, with attractive displays of pet-themed urns, keepsakes, informational literature, house plants, a private grieving office, and even a little lovebird cheeping in a cage behind the counter. Dr. Espey is a petite and very pleasant, compassionate service provider. Her commitment to her clients is evident in the service she provides and her quiet manner, especially knowing that the majority of her clients will arrive in various stages of upset and grief. Dr. Espey brought a small gurney out to our vehicle, and we transfered our deceased dog on its stretcher back inside the facility. She assured us that our dog's remains would be very carefully handled. Even during the cremation process, though we opted for the less expensive non-exclusive cremation when other pet remains might simultaneously be cremated, our pet's body would be separated from any others by concrete blocks and identified with a fireproof numbered metal tag. We left our Daisy in good hands. Though Dr. Espey said it might be 10 days before the cremation was complete, she notified us four days later that the cremains were ready for pick-up. We had not opted to purchase one of the variously sized and attractive bronze urns. In the office displays there was a remarkable selection of carved boxes, and urns made of various materials: bronze, glass, wood, available in a range of prices. These could be ordered for delivery within a week or so. It took us several weeks to return for Daisy's cremains. We were delighted to receive, in addition to the small metal box containing a zip-lock sandwich bag of about a pound of sand-like cremains, an unfired white clay disk imprinted with Daisy's pawprint and her name, to be fired later at home along with any embellishments we wanted to order and add later: enameled tokens in the form of hearts or dogbones. Dr. Espey had asked earlier if we would also appreciate a small clipping of Daisy's bright orange and white coat to be returned. Dr. Espey provides a remarkable and much needed service to the Valley. After consulting with friends who had disposed of their pets in a variety of unpleasant and for us, undesirable ways: eg, dumping at the garbage dump, we are very happy with the level of service, the keepsakes and the manner in which we and our pet were treated.