27/08/2025
We received this lovely message from Barney's family.
A little over 2 years ago now you cremated my beautiful boy Barney. I would have written this so much sooner but I have only just now felt ready to talk more openly about it. Our poor boy had to be put down and we were told we only had 2 options, to bring him home and bury him in the garden or to leave him at the vets for a mass cremation. Neither sat right with me but I couldn’t stand the thought of a mass cremation for him so we brought him home and buried him in the garden. I cried constantly for 2 days, worried about him being cold and lonely in the garden (silly I know). I googled options and came across you guys. I called you up and as I cried down the phone to you, feeling like the worst person in the world you made everything feel just that little bit better. The kind words and understanding instantly put my mind at rest as you explained that it didn’t matter we had buried him and that you could still take him in to be cremated. Barney was buried on his bed wrapped in his blanket. My husband had the awful job of digging him back up and we brought him to you. We were shown into the garden room and you guys got my boy out of the car and brought him in, you uncovered his head from his blanket and instantly showed him so much love and respect. You sat next to him and stroked his head as you spoke to us about our options. You gave us time alone to properly say goodbye to my best friend. It was a Wednesday and as it was coming up to bank holiday weekend you explained that we wouldn’t be able to pick him back up until the following Tuesday. I was devastated about not being able to take him home sooner but I understood. You even gave us advice on how to explain cremation to our 3 year old daughter in an age appropriate way. I left feeling like a weight had been lifted, like my boy was with people who genuinely cared about him and my heart could rest easier. The next day we had a phone call from you, you had managed to do everything for us really quickly and said we could come over that day to bring Barney home, I was so so grateful that you’d managed to give Barney a respectful send off so quickly so we could have him back where he belonged. We had his ashes put into a photo frame, a necklace for myself and a bracelet for my husband. You also gave us his paw and nose prints and clippings of his hair. A week later I had those prints tattooed on my arm. I miss my boy daily, but I am so so grateful that you gave us the opportunity to say goodbye properly, and to have the prints so I can see a part of him on my skin whenever I look down! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart! You are angels.
