- Living on a farm with her hubby, Tom, Anne Jorgensen, 68, adored taking care of dogs, cats, horses and cows
- When their beloved dog Sophie was cremated, they wished they could have given her a ‘proper send-off.’
- So the couple, from Bundell, Queensland, decided to set up a business doing funerals for family pets
Here Anne tells their story in her own words
Watching as my four-month-old calf Lucy gulped milk, I smiled. It was December 2013, and living on a 103-acre farm with my husband, Tom, then 61, I adored taking care of our dogs, cats, horses and cows.
‘You love your animals more than your kids,’ friends often teased me.
We had two grown-up daughters, Amy, then 32, and Kate, 30, who we adored, both married with kids and pets of their own.
Whenever any of our animals sadly passed away, we buried them at the farm with care. But before we had the farm, we’d lost our border collie Sophie, aged 17, in 1995.
We’d paid to have sweet Sophie cremated, but we’d never got her ashes back, only her collar
Our poor girl had died of old age.
We’d paid to have sweet Sophie cremated, but we’d never got her ashes back, only her collar.
‘I wish we could’ve given Sophie a proper send-off,’ Tom often said in the years after her passing.
‘Not having a chance to say goodbye is emotionally taxing,’ I sighed.
‘There must be a better way,’ he said.
It inspired us to do funerals for pets as a business. With Tom previously working in construction and me in admin, we had no experience in the industry, but were determined to ease the burden of farewelling pets for other owners.
And with Tom’s dad Ludwig having worked as a vet years earlier, he was all too familiar with the sterile environment that many pets spent their final moments in.
Sharing the idea with our friends and family, they were incredibly supportive.
Finally, in February 2015, we opened the doors to Pet Angel Funerals on the Gold Coast, Queensland.
Wanting our service to go beyond cremation, we included a family room so people could hold memorial services for their beloved pets. We even had a screen so they could play a slideshow of their happiest memories.
As word spread, requests soon poured in for personalised funerals for cats, dogs and guinea pigs, as well as more unusual pets such as snakes, chickens, alpacas, birds, turtles and even fish.
No matter if people’s pets were covered in fur, feathers or scales, we had a package to suit everyone, costing from $350 to $2100.
As well as personalised wooden urns that could have favourite photos of a pet printed on them, many wanted paw prints or their birds’ feathers as keepsakes.
We also had a request for an ink print of a fish tail, and have done clay casts.
Others asked us to pass on their love to their furry friends before cremation.
‘Can you kiss Lola goodbye for me?’ one client asked, wanting us to take care of their cat with love.
It’s always so special to see how different cultures farewell their pets. One Maori family performed a haka as they said goodbye to their beloved German shepherd. Another time an Indian family came in, including kids and grandparents, and lit sticks of incense around their beloved pooch.
In April 2023, we decided to launch a luxury car pick-up service, where we’d collect pets from their homes rather than the family being burdened with transporting their pet.
As a sign of respect, we’d go in to meet the family and learn more about the pet they were saying goodbye to.
Then, when the family felt ready, we’d place a flower between the pet’s paws, and ask the family if they’d like the honour of being pallbearers, before saying their final goodbyes.
Not ready to let go, one man asked to watch the first half of the State of Origin game with his English staffy before we took him away.
As we drove back to our facility, we’d play personalised music chosen by the bereaved, such as ‘Yellow’ by Coldplay.
One client whose greyhound had passed away requested we drive him past his favourite park. Driving around the field, I thought of all the happy laps their dog must’ve done over the years.
People often ask if what we do is depressing, but I find it hugely satisfying.
Pets hold a special place in owners’ hearts, and deserve a proper goodbye before they cross the rainbow bridge.
Many people compliment us on how beautifully their pet’s send off has been handled.
‘I can’t believe how well you looked after my little angel,’ one person said.
Though our companions may no longer be by our sides, they’ll furever be in our hearts.
