Our pets are as much a part of our family as our blood relatives are.
Whether you’re a newly appointed dog mom or you’ve grown up with an orange ginger cat by your side, our emotional attachment to our beloved animals shouldn’t be underestimated.
It can be devastating when a pet passes away.
That strong emotional attachment that we hold makes it all the more difficult to reconcile with the fact that most animals will live shorter lives than us.
We feel that loss as we would feel it with anyone in our life, and although it’s not taken as seriously in society, it hurts all the same.
Some people choose to keep their pets “around” after they’re gone.
Yep, pet taxidermy is a thing. A pretty popular thing in fact.
I don’t personally see the appeal, but some people like having a “version” of their pet around the home forever.
Pet cloning is another, more modern option.
The process of pet cloning involves taking the genes of an animal that has passed away and using them in the reproduction of a new litter of animals that will, theoretically, posses very similar DNA.
It’s unclear whether this gives the new animals a similar temperament as their gene donors, but it does make them look physically the same, which is what a lot of mourning pet parents are looking for.
Now, there’s a company that will infuse your pet’s ashes with glass art.
Davenport Memorial Glass exists “to physically capture a moment, to create a keepsake that brings back a memory.”
The company aims to help people remember and treasure the time that they spent with their lost pets.
The “cremation paw” is their most popular product.
All that’s needed is about a spoonful of your pet’s ashes sent via mail, and for less than a hundred dollars, you get back a beautiful piece of memorial glass art.
Owner Cameron Davenport was inspired to start the project after losing a close friend.
“I was given a small spoonful of [my friend’s] ashes that I had just set on my bookshelf for a number of years,” he explained, “One day it came to me, and I decided to make him into a marble.”
“It sort of just snowballed after that.”
A lot of his friends thought that the glass art was a wonderful idea, and once he began making art for them, more and more people began to put in requests.
Cameron doesn’t take the job lightly.
He understands how hard it can be to trust a stranger with a part of your beloved pet— a part of yourself.
“Thank you for all the trust you have put into what we do,” his website statement reads, “We greatly appreciate you.”
h/t: Buzzfeed
