NC funeral home arranges services for family pets

GASTONIA -- A North Carolina funeral home wants to be sure that families can give their pets a proper memorial once they're gone. The Gaston Gazette reports that McLean Funeral Home has opened McLean Pet Care Services. The business will pick up pets' bodies at a veterinary clinic or at an owner's residence, carrying it out on a gurney or wrapped in a towel. Edie Hancock, director of McLean Pet Care Services, says often the family is quite upset and it is a top priority to handle the situation respectfully. The business can cremate your pet or provide a burial service at an owner's home. It can also do pre-planned arrangements and offer ways to memorialize a dead pet with customized urns, markers and memorial DVDs. Prices range from $15 to several hundred dollars. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)