Media News

Ashes to Ashes

By James Pentland
Reformer Staff

BRATTLEBORO — When Marilyn George’s beloved cat Moca Chip died in the fall of 2001, she wanted to have her cremated, as she had done previously with five of her animals.

But the way she wanted to do it — to be with her at the crematory and share some final moments with her to know that she was treated with dignity and respect — was not allowed at the distant crematory where she had to bring her pet.

“I had to drop her off — I couldn’t stay with her,” George recalled. “Everything was ‘no.’ It was just a very cold process.” Spurred by that unhappy experience, George and her longtime partner, Steve Hellus, have now opened their own pet crematory, called White Rose Pet Memorial Services, where they offer the kind of service they were denied with Moca Chip.

“We have funeral homes for people,” George stated. “Why not offer a funeral home atmosphere for pets?” White Rose provides animal cremation services, in groups and individually, for veterinarians, animal shelters and the public. Pet owners can also bring their pets to the crematory for a candlelight memorial service in a restful and handsomely decorated room, with a moveable altar under a stained-glass window for final viewing of the pet.

Pet owners are often in a highly emotional state when they come to the crematory, George and Hellus said. “People aren’t sure what to expect, but after a little while, you can see them relax,” Hellus said. Some want their pet on display, while others prefer photographs. Some want to see the crematory, and some prefer to have a service after the cremation.

“I’ll do a service if requested,” George said. “There’s a program of prayers and poems I use.” Some people want to be left alone, while others want to talk about their pet. Some may want to have their pet cremated with a favorite basket or toy, which is fine as long as it doesn’t violate clean air standards, Hellus said.

White Rose’s aim is to provide a service that respects the wishes of the pet owner and the dignity of the pet. “If the pet owner wants to come here, see the crematory, be with their pet, we encourage that,” Hellus said. “Everyone has a different comfort level.”

White Rose, a renovated space inside a large storage building that used to be a hangar, opened the last week of December at the couple’s 23-acre hilltop property on South Street in West Brattleboro. The service has handled 139 animals since then — mostly cats and dogs, but also Lucy the potbellied pig, Kodiak the guinea pig, a rat named Nemo, a chicken and a turtle.

White Rose has been endorsed by several area veterinarians, at least one of whom has gained a personal experience of the service. “They couldn’t have been nicer — it was much more than I expected,” said Dr. Ashton Kane of the Court Street Veterinary Hospital in Keene, N.H., who brought her brother-in-law’s dog, Daisy, over for cremation last month.

“I put her on the altar and said my goodbyes — it was so nice to be able to say goodbye to her that way. Then the ashes came back in just a few days, presented in a really nice way.”

Pet owners have a choice of urns, from the standard (a carved sandalwood box) to more elaborate pewter, bronze and silver models. The ashes are returned in a gift bag that includes a certificate, a booklet on grieving, and a white rose.

“It’s really quite a step up from what we used to have,” which was a service in distant Manchester, Conn., Kane said. With the detailed paperwork that White Rose keeps, she added, people are certain to get the right ashes back. Noting that people whose pets die or need to be euthanized should start with a vet — White Rose does not euthanize — Dr. Crager Boardman of the Brattleboro Veterinary Clinic said the crematory was a nice supplemental service.

“They really care about animals,” he said. Dr. Jerilyn Jacobs of the Vermont-New Hampshire Veterinary Clinic in Dummerston said White Rose offers a compassionate, caring service — including cold storage for those who want to wait for spring burial — that wasn’t available before.

“It’s been great having a business so close by,” she said. “They offer lots of options — they’re very flexible and helpful.” George and Hellus are area natives with extensive experience working with animals.“I’ve been around animals all my life,” said Hellus, 45, who grew up on a family farm in Dummerston. Later, his parents housed the Windham County Humane Society for a time, and he served as president of the organization’s board in 1993. George, 50, is a former secretary of the humane society board.

The two previously owned and operated Southern Vermont Helicopter, which was begun by George’s late husband, Eli George. Marilyn George also has her own business, Safe Haven Home, which distributes her manual on documenting and protecting possessions in case of loss by fire, natural disaster or theft. Hellus still flies helicopter part-time for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

The two learned all they needed to know about pet crematories through the International Association of Pet Cemeteries, whose code of ethics White Rose adheres to.

“They have a wealth of experience on what to do, and what not to do,” Hellus said, adding that the people they met at the organization’s convention couldn’t have been friendlier. “That’s what sold us,” he said.

White Rose services, which include pick-up of animals, are available by appointment at (802) 254-4749. The cost, depending on the services and the size of the xanimal, runs from $30 to $200.

“We try to make it easy for the vet and the pet owner,” Hellus said.

Many people who decide to have their pet cremated would rather not see the crematory itself. But more and more do, according to Steve Hellus, co-owner of the recently opened White Rose Pet Memorial Services. The 12-ton machine, made by Matthews, is like a heavily insulated kiln that burns at similarly high temperatures. Everything but the animal’s bones is consumed in the intense heat.

“At 1,600 degrees, there’s no smoke, no odor,” Hellus said. “The only by-product is heat.” State law requires that crematories burn at that heat. In fact, Hellus said, his usually runs 100 degrees hotter. The system includes a stainless steel stack, lined with concrete, in four sections weighing 1,800 pounds each. The burner is fed by a 2-inch propane line.

After the cremation is complete, the bones, white and brittle, are put through a processor that turns them to powder. What remains is, essentially, fertilizer, Hellus said.

“Those remains that aren’t wanted back, we’ll scatter on the property,” he said. “This is their final home.”