The bond between a human and pet can be unlike any other, with many owners considering animals a part of the family.

When the time comes for pets to cross the “rainbow bridge” and enter into eternal rest, many owners choose to pay their respects for their pets through cremation.

Robyn Dostie Esposito is a licensed funeral director/office manager for Munson-Lovetere Funeral Home & Cremation Services, who has experience in pet cremation.

She works for the funeral home’s family of companies — including Stone Family Cremation Services, which handles human cremation, and Pet Passages of Southbury, which handles animal cremation — as a licensed crematory operator.

“In Connecticut, a family cannot contract directly with a crematory for services,” Esposito said. “We built Stone Family specifically to be able to offer families a respectful and peaceful place to gather for small private services.”

When Stone Family Cremation Services opened at 125 Bullet Hill Road North, Southbury, in May 2017, Pet Passages of Southbury handled its first client shortly thereafter.

“They were built in conjunction with human cremation taking place in one half of the building and pet cremation in the other half,” Esposito explained. “Opening a pet and human crematorium was the dream from the start. Being pet owners ourselves we saw a deficiency in the care local animals received after passing. We thought it was necessary to give them the compassion they deserve during their final journey.”

Cremation Services

Pet Passages of Southbury works with pet owners, as well as veterinarians, and receives an average of a dozen calls a day regarding pet cremation.

“We offer three different options for pet cremation, two for when pet parents would like the ashes back and one for when they do not,” Esposito said.

People can choose to bring their pet in themselves or have the pet picked up for an additional fee.

“Many people are not comfortable leaving their pet at their veterinarian’s [office] after they pass. They want a clear knowledge of where their pet is being taken care of and the transparency of that final journey,” Esposito said. “We are able to provide families with the comfort of knowing where their pet is throughout the process and have the ashes back, in most cases, within 72 hours.”

A wide assortment of species are eligible for pet cremation.

“The majority of animals we cremate are dogs and cats, but we also handle rabbits, birds, reptiles, goats, poultry, and rodents. Occasionally we have cremated larger animals like pigs and alpacas,” Esposito said.

Since cremation is typically based on weight, according to Esposito, animals that weigh more than 500 pounds are not accepted for cremation.

There is a large selection of urns to hold the ashes of cremated pets, in addition to pet caskets for those who choose a burial option.

Pet owners can also take part in creating a customized funeral for their pets, with a prayer service if desired. The services typically take place in the building’s Rainbow Room, which is where a family’s pet is presented for a final goodbye.

Esposito assured, “We are here to offer comfort and respect to every single person who contacts us… We offer tours of our locations by appointment to help educate the public on what your options are.”

For more information about pet cremation, call Munson-Lovetere Funeral Home and Pet Passages of Southbury’s shared phone number at 203-263-2146 or visit southbury.ct.petpassages.com/locations. Stone Family Cremation Services and Pet Passages are part of the Munson Lovetere Funeral Home family of companies.