Man offers pet cremation service to help ease loss

A MAN is offering to help people who struggle with the death of their pets.

Peter Baldwin, from Peppard Common, has launched Tranquillity, an animal cremation service for grieving owners wanting to give their beloved dog or cat a dignified send-off.

He spent 18 months planning and setting up the business, which is based in an old farm building in Cane End.

Mr Baldwin, 55, said: “I came up with the idea after my sister’s pet dog died which she had had for a long time.

“When we looked at getting the dog cremated, there was nobody local who could do it — the nearest was in Hampshire and they charged quite a lot of money.

“It was very nice but just not close by so I thought, ‘Hold on, if there’s nothing around here, should someone set one up?’. Then I thought, ‘I can actually do this and give people a lovely service’.

“It’s hard losing a pet and through this business, we can make it easier for people at quite a distressing time. We understand that animals are more than just pets and are a member of the family, so we know the sorrow it causes when you lose them.”

Mr Baldwin lives with his partner Charlotte Pudney and their six-year-old daughter and a cockapoo called Ziggle Wiggle.

He spent a lot of time on research and speaking to people about their experiences of losing pets.

Mr Baldwin, who has previously owned Siamese cats, cockapoos, Labradors and guinea pigs, said: “For many people, a pet is part of the family. You love them, look after them, nurture them and they love you back and you snuggle up on the sofa together.

“When a pet goes, it’s natural to go through the same grieving process as you would with a loved one.

“We give the animals a nice dignified and respectful send-off and the owners can have the memory of the pet coming back to them.

“It gives people the comfort that they’ve looked after their pet for the final time.

“My little one, after a pet dies, asks where they’ve gone and if they’ve gone to heaven — it’s about the comfort. A pet can be a very big part of someone’s life.”

He had to find a suitable location for the business, buy an incinerator and learn about the regulations relating to pet cremation.

Mr Baldwin said: “The equipment had to be approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and it cost a lot of money.

“It’s a specialist incinerator which is the same as the ones used for humans but on a smaller scale.

“Our office is the place that people come to talk about what they want and it’s a lovely, pretty, relaxed space. The equipment is separate because no one needs to see that.

“Everything we do is monitored and licensed by Defra, which is very strict. They will come and do a big check every year and a spot check every three months to make sure we are working to their level.”

Tranquillity will arrange to collect your pet from your home or from a vet.

Mr Baldwin, who used to be a head fundraiser for charities in London, said: “We want to make this time as pain-free as possible.

“We offer a caring and easy cremation service where you choose the final journey that is right for you and your pet.

“Helping people is what it’s all about. We had a lady the other day, who had lost her kitten at six months old and she was really distraught.

“This service is a bit like being a therapist, making sure the process is as easy as possible.”

He believes that deciding where to put the ashes is part of grieving.

Mr Baldwin said: “Some people want to keep them for a little while but others want to sprinkle them in their favourite place.

“It used to be most common to bury a pet in the garden but nowadays some people may not have a garden or they may move around a lot.

“We only do individual pet cremations and people can decide to scatter or bury the ashes or keep them.

“The ashes don’t need to come in an obvious urn either — they can get a photo frame, for example, with a secret compartment in the back with the ashes in. We are about giving people the choice.”

Ms Pudney runs Little Bells of Henley, which provides bell tents for occasions such as children’s parties and garden sleepovers as well as entertainment spaces at weddings.

Mr Baldwin said: “Our whole family is about making people happy.”


Visit the Tranquility website here.

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