Owners find relief in giving dead pets a proper send-off

Apart from doing pet funeral arrangements for a cooperative pet adoption agency and veterinary clinics, He also does these services for some pet owners as well. "The adoption agency has over 40 dogs and is operated by a reporter at her own expense, so I cremate and give funerals to her dogs for free," He added.

Before the emergence of pet funerals, He said many people there just casually bury their pets on the mountains, which is usually better than those who throw the remains into trash bins or the thickets beside the roads. Likewise, roadkill are often seen on the road, and no one cares about them, which He said it is harmful to both the environment and traffic safety.

"The feelings are mutual when people put in feelings to raise their pets. It is hard for me to casually discard pets when their lives are over, because every pet means a lot to their owners," he said.

One girl left her dog at an adoption place as she was traveling, but the dog later died of illness. The girl was full of remorse and wept uncontrollably when He took the dog for cremation.

Clients can make an appointment with He before deciding to have a funeral for their pets, and they can choose to personally take their pet's remains to his company. Alternatively, his employees can pick up the remains from the clients' homes. The remains are cleaned and cremated after a short farewell ceremony.

Owners can take the urns with them, bury it, or scatter the ashes under the trees. A few dozen meters from the funeral parlor, there are over a dozen tombstones, each with words engraved expressing the owner's grief.

The cremation is charged according to the weight of the pet, with prices starting from 500 yuan ($74), and a tombstone costing between 600 and 1,200 yuan. The company provides the burial ground and caretaking services for free.

The income from pet funerals is not good, as annual operating costs for He's business can be more than 20,000 yuan.

"It may be less than the income of an office job," He said.

He's family initially objected to his work as they feared he would not make much money.

"I am just so determined that nobody can change it. After all, I needed to support myself after graduating from university," he said.

Some people that He knows treat their pets kindly, while some people's feelings for their pets do not last long. "They buy a pet just out of curiosity and may abandon the pet shortly after," he said.

Whenever He encounters dead animals on the road, he brings them back to his funeral parlor and gives them funerals. He also accepts dead stray animals that some people bring to his parlor, and helps to cremate them as well.

"There should be regulations for owning pets. Owners should not abandon their pets at will, which can also help avoid the occurrence of homeless animals," he said.

"The pet funeral industry in Shanxi province still falls short, and I will continue to do this job not only for the pets, but also to provide an option for the owners to properly bid farewell to their pets."

Yang Zekun contributed to this story.

sunruisheng@chinadaily.com.cn