Paws, Whiskers, and Wags helps pet owners say goodbye

Jun. 15—LENOIR — For many people, pets are important members of the family, and the loss of a pet can be traumatic. Therefore, end-of-life decisions represent the final acts of love and kindness we can show our pets. Paws, Whiskers, and Wags are here to assist pet owners in making those decisions for their loved ones.

Paws, Whiskers, and Wags handles animal cremation services.

"What's unique about us is we model everything after how human cremation services are done," said Erin Schmidt, marketing director. "We decided that we wanted to base everything on how humans are taken care of after death. People care about their pets; they're like family."

On Wednesday, June 22, Paws, Whiskers, and Wags will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at their facility, located at 3546 Hickory Blvd., Hudson, starting at 2 p.m. The public is invited to attend this free event.

Hank Guess, the mayor of Hickory, will be in attendance, as well as the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce and a police K-9 unit.

Additionally, on Friday, June 24, Paws, Whiskers, and Wags will host an open house event to celebrate their grand opening.

"People are welcome to come and go as they please," said Schmidt. "We'll have tours of our facility, we'll introduce Tina and her team, and we'll show folks what we're doing."

Paws, Whiskers, and Wags initially started in Decatur, Georgia.

Memory Keepers Pet Cremation Services in Hudson have recently joined the team at Paws, Whiskers, and Wags. Located in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro area, Memory Keepers was opened by Tina Rollins, who has been in the local funeral and pet cremation industry for many years.

Additionally, Paws, Whiskers, and Wags has partnered with Horsia in order to offer equine cremation services, as well.

Schmidt said people tend to see pet cremation service providers as "the grim reaper," but the team at Paws, Whiskers, and Wags are very friendly and want to help pet owners face the difficulty of saying goodbye to their beloved pet.

Each and every pet is placed in the cremation chamber alone and cremated alone, which guarantees that once the process is completed, the family receives the ashes of just their pet and no one else's.

The Virtual Pet Loss Support Group is held bi-monthly via Zoom for better accessibility to all the families served throughout Metro Atlanta and North and South Carolina.

Paws, Whiskers, and Wags also hold yearly pet celebrations and candlelight vigils for all the families they serve. Online obituaries are available to memorialize the wonderful lives of family pets.

Pets can be brought into their care in different ways: family transport, house call, or veterinary services.

Pet owners are always welcome at the Paws, Whiskers, and Wags facility. Pet owners can bring their pet directly to the office, where an experienced client advocate will assist in making final arrangements. The urn gallery is also available to view in-person.

If a pet passes away at home, give Paws, Whiskers, and Wags a call. They can arrange to come to your home and bring your loved one back to the facility in their custom house-call van. Staff always takes great care and respect when entering a home and handling a beloved pet. Cost may vary due to distance. Please speak to a client representative at 980-819-2504 for more information.

If a pet passes away at the veterinarian's office or at home, staff from Paws, Whiskers, and Wags can pick them up directly from the veterinarian's office for a small transportation charge. Their reliable drivers take the utmost care when entering hospitals and handling loved ones as they bring them back safely to the facility.

"Come get to know us before you need us," said Schmidt. "We're nice people and locals to the community."

Please visit pawswhiskersandwags.com or follow Paws, Whiskers, and Wags on Facebook to find more information.