When A Shovel And A Shoebox Won’t Do, There’s The Worland Pet Cemetery

WORLAND — For many people, pets become integral, beloved members of their families. This means when they die, a shovel and a shoebox in the backyard just won’t do.

Giving those families a respectful option for a proper burial was a labor of love for the staff at New Hope Shelter in Worland, Wyoming, when it added a crematorium and pet cemetery to its grounds more than 20 years ago.

While the main objective is to care for the homeless and unwanted animals that are brought to the shelter, the folks here also are there to help grieving families when a cherished pet passes away.

Edie Cliame, the director at New Hope, said the aim is to be always respectful when someone arrives at the shelter to use the cremation services.

“I know it's hard when you've lost your pet,” Cliame said. “We actually want to bawl and cry with them, but you have to be strong for the people that are here.”

While cemetery plots are available for pets, most people come here to use the crematorium and take the ashes home.

“They are very thankful that we have that service and just appreciative,” shelter volunteer Deb Coronado said. “The other option is to throw them in the garbage, the landfill or something like that.”

Both Cliame and Coronado cringe at the thought of discarding a pet without the respect they offer. They have also used the cremation services themselves and have been grateful for the service.

“My Ginger,” Cliame said, reminiscing about her own experience losing a pet. “She was this cute poodle that I got from here — and older than dirt.”

The Cremation

New Hope Shelter has been at its Worland facility since 1999. The founder was Newell Sargent, a local philanthropist with a heart for animals.

When his nephew began offering pet cremations and burials in Las Vegas, Newell thought the shelter should offer the same services in Worland.

While skeptical of having full funeral services for animals in Wyoming, Cliame thought the community would appreciate a pet cremation option. 

“It's just a wonderful service for not only for the owners, but for the dogs to be returned to their owners,” she said.

By 2002, the facility was fully operational.

The staff began offering pet cremations to the entire Big Horn Basin and word spread about the new service. People drive hundreds of miles to bring their deceased pets to the facility to use its specially designed pet crematorium chamber.

How It Works

The process at New Hope typically involves bringing the pet’s body to its garage, where staff will wheel it to the crematorium. Once there, the remains will be placed in a special chamber called a cremator.

The cremator will heat to a high temperature, causing the body to break down and turn to ash. The ashes are then placed in an urn or a container. Each animal is kept separate so the ashes are not mingled with others.

After repeated requests, the staff also began offering specialty urns for sale that are decorated with animal motifs and appropriate for the animals they represent.

Cremations are also not exclusive to just cats and dogs. Lizards, birds, gerbils and other animals are all welcome, although the shelter cannot accept larger animals such as horses.

It also cannot cremate humans and have had to turn down requests in the past.

“We have a rabbit in the garage right now that the rabbit passed away Saturday,” she said. “We have had guinea pigs, and just this Friday we did a goat for a family. He was their pet, and it was heartbreaking.”

Cliame said staff make sure the family has time to say goodbye to their pets.

“Some people just cry and cry,” she said. “Which is OK. It's just hard for me because I feel bad for them. I know it is so hard when you lose your animals.”

Once the goodbyes are done, the staff will cover the animal with a sheet and wheel them away.

Laid To Rest

Most owners will come back for the ashes or pay to have them shipped; however, there are times when an owner wants a cremation but doesn't want the cremains back.

For those owners, the staff will spread the ashes either under the shelter’s lilac bushes or the big trees on the property.

“We spread the ashes because a lot of them don't want to see their beloved pet at the landfill or anything like that,” she said.

While Cliame wasn’t sure how the cemetery would go over, she has been pleasantly surprised that people are interested when they learn that it’s an option.

“I wasn't sure about the burial, but we've used it several times,” she said. “It's not overwhelmingly popular, but we have it here if somebody was really interested.”

The New Hope Pet Cemetery was designed to be a place of beauty with a huge wrought iron fence greeting visitors. The lawn inside is immaculately kept and a path meanders through the middle, with trees and bushes planted on the border of the property.

Headstones are lined up, marking the final resting place of several cats and dogs, including Sargent’s own family cat, Kasey, who had died in 2008.

“It's a wonderful service,” Cliame said. “And it helps us, too, because any money comes back here to this Humane Society.”

The payment for cremations and burials are used to feed, vaccinate and take care of the abandoned shelter animals at New Hope. The organization doesn’t post specific prices for the pet cremation service, but it typically varies by the type and size of the animal.

“A lot of people use our cremator,” Cliame said. “We're sad they lose their pet, but we're glad that they can use our services.”

Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.