If the answer is yes, explaining she is the president and founder of Clock Timeless Pets, a full-service funeral provider for pets, is easy.
“If they are a pet parent, they get it,” she said.
If they’re not a pet parent, her answer is usually greeted with a pregnant pause.
“They don’t quite understand it,” she said.
Clock has been involved in the funeral industry since 1987. She started on the supply side, traveling nationally to sell products to funeral homes. One client was Dale Clock, the great-grandson of Teide Clock, who founded the Muskegon-based Clock Funeral Home in 1897.
In 2003, after both had gone through divorces, they met again and a romance blossomed. They married and she came into the family business, working in advance funeral planning.
Then an odd thing happened. A woman whose dog died asked if she could hold a memorial service at the funeral home. They said yes to the request, and it got Clock thinking about the relationship between people and pets.
Clock loves dogs, and brings her three rescue dogs to work. She is a board member of Noah Project, a no-kill shelter in Muskegon.
Shortly after the canine memorial service, Clock convinced her husband to let her bring her sheltie, Max, to the funeral home as a therapy dog. Max was certified through Therapy Dogs International.
“I knew she was passionate about her pets,” Dale Clock said.
Initially, he was hesitant to have a dog in the funeral home and was adamant that Max stay on a leash. The first family Max worked with loved him, though, and he was off the leash within 10 minutes. Max was soon a part of the team at the funeral home.
For more than two years, Max interacted with clients when they came to make funeral arrangements and during visitations.
In 2005, when Jody Clark realized the nearest pet crematorium was in Grand Rapids, she partnered with a friend who had a pet funeral business in Kalamazoo. They founded Clock Timeless Pets as a sister company to the Clock Funeral Home that spring. Their offices are separate, but at the same location: 1469 Peck, Muskegon.
“That’s what got me into this,” she said, “but it wasn’t until Max died (in 2007) that I jumped into it with both feet.”
Last February, Clock bought her own pet crematorium.
Dale Clock said pet funerals are becoming a major part of the funeral industry. Trade conferences now include sessions on pets. He said the response in Muskegon has been positive regarding pet funerals.
The cost to have a pet cremated ranges from $175 to $275, depending on the weight of the animal. Clock Timeless Pets also offers plans for tiny pets such as hamsters, snakes and birds. Each cremation is private, meaning only one animal is cremated at a time.
Clock said it’s important to know that people and pets are kept completely separate. If anyone has questions or concerns, she’ll gladly give them a behind-the-scenes tour. Pet parents can witness their pet’s cremation, if they choose.
“We have nothing to hide. We have no secrets,” she said.
The closest cemetery devoted to pets is Sleepy Hollow Pet Cemetery in Byron Center, just south of Grand Rapids. Sleepy Hollow also has a crematory large enough for horses.
Clock Timeless Pets offers a round-the-clock pet removal service, a full line of pet caskets and urns, and keepsakes such as jewelry, paw-print art and engraved stones.
Last month, Clock attended training offered by Pet Loss Professionals Alliance and Two Hearts Pet Loss Center. Among other things, she learned how to help people grieve the loss of a pet. She plans on starting a pet hospice and palliative care network that will provide end-of-life help and grief support.
Clock said a pet is often a member of the family.
“They should be treated with the same dignity and respect as humans for their final care.”
SOURCE
No comments:
Post a Comment