Recently, a girl from Hangzhou named Xiaoru put her cat’s ashes by her bedside, which was opposed by her whole family and sparked heated discussions among netizens. In China, about three million pets die of illness every year. Some people simply throw them away, while some pet owners give them a decent farewell. Then, pet funeral services emerge as the times require. According to Tianyancha data, as of September 23, 2022, there are nearly 2,200 related enterprises of ‘pet funeral services’ across the country.
01 Basic process of pet funeral services
1. Notify the pet funeral store to pick up the deceased pet or take it to the store by oneself.
2. The pet funeral director cleans the stains, feces and blood on the deceased pet. Generally, use dry cleaner to comb the hair first, deal with the odor, and restore it to the appearance when it was healthy before as much as possible, so that it can complete the last journey cleanly.
3. Put the deceased pet in the farewell room and let the pet owner and the pet say goodbye.
4. Finally, cremate it so that they can leave decently. The next day after cremation, the pet owner will pick them up. Only in this way can a funeral service be completed.
5. Some pet owners will place the pet’s ashes in the ossuary as a souvenir.
6. The pet funeral director will make a memorial album for the pet. Pet owners can leave some words on it for the deceased pet, which is also a kind of emotional sustenance.
7. In some big cities, pet funeral services also provide euthanasia services for pets.
‘Post-90s’ pet funeral director Ge Yuehua
Since she started her career as a pet funeral director more than two years ago, Ge Yuehua, a ‘post-90s’ pet funeral director, has handled the ‘afterlife affairs’ for more than 600 ‘furry kids’, allowing pets to complete the last journey decently.
Another job of pet funeral directors is to help pet owners who have lost their pets relieve their sadness. ‘More than 90% of pet owners have the desire to talk.’ said Ge Yuehua.
‘Post-95s’ pet funeral director Yinghao
Yinghao, a ‘post-95s’, graduated from a ‘211’ university and was engaged in product industrial design related work. At the beginning of 2020, he switched to be a pet funeral director and co-founded a pet funeral store with his friends. Colleagues in the studio come from all walks of life, such as those who have done marketing, painting or human funeral services. Most of them are post-90s, and there is one post-00s.
‘Post-00s’ pet funeral director Taozi
Taozi, a ‘post-00s’ pet funeral director, graduated from the architecture major of Hangzhou Dianzi University. Because Taozi engaged in part-time jobs in the pet funeral industry during college, he decided to engage in this industry after graduating from college. In the past two days, after the video of him sending off pets was reported by news media, he became popular.
04 Pet funeral industry
In recent years, as the infant and child market declines again, capitals have been paying attention to the new consumption track of ‘pet funeral services’. On March 13, many capital institutions pointed out that they are currently observing outstanding companies in the field of ‘pet funeral services’ and said they are optimistic about the future of the industry.
Many media professionals in the pet industry have expressed that while pet funeral services are considered a future necessity in pet consumption, the frequency of consumption is relatively low.
In one city, only about two businesses can sustain the traffic, whereas in many cities, there are already 30 to 40 pet funeral shops. The pet funeral market is still undervalued. Apart from a few brands that started early and have established processes and product supply chains, the industry is still in its developmental and small-scale phase.
At the end of this discussion, the lives of pets are short, and aging and death are inevitable. When the day comes, how can we minimize regret and sorrow, and bid them farewell with the utmost gentleness and goodwill? This is a question every pet owner needs to ponder. On the surface, pet end-of-life services aim to improve the treatment of pets, but in reality, they offer solace to humans, allowing them to express their grief and establish respect for life.
Relevant authorities should strengthen the regulation of the pet funeral market, guiding it towards standardization and development that is reasonable in cost and beneficial to the ecosystem.
