Duke

Duke

I graduated from High school 25 years ago this June.  It is hard to believe!  I am sure anybody who has come to this milestone in life has had similar emotions.  How many times do we hear the phrase, "time flies"?  I can honestly say, never in a million years would I have guessed I would be the owner of a Pet Cemetery & Cremation Service 25 years out of high school.  I have had many people ask how I got interested in this profession. The following is that story.  I grew up with pets.  We always had a dog or two and cats.  We were always picking pet hair out of the butter or some other food item.  This isn't to say we didn't have a clean house, but if you have pets.......you know what I mean.  

After graduating from high school, my dad told me to get a job or he was taking me down to the Army recruiters office.  Well, the Army recruiter was not the answer for me!  I heard Westgor Funeral Home was looking for a driver for their hearse and I thought that would be pretty cool (and easy).  I started working at Westgor's on July 1, 1988, therein starting my 25 year career in the funeral profession. I started out doing maintenance work, cutting the lawn, washing cars (and yes, driving the Hearse). One Saturday morning, I was in the funeral home garage washing one of the cars and Ted Westgor came out and told me that we had a home death and asked me to go change into my suit.  On the way to the house I asked him (as I always did) who died.  He said, "it's Marge Applebee's dog, Duke."   I didn't know what to say, nor what to expect.  We had Marge's husband's funeral less than a year ago and all she had left as far as family, was her dog Duke and she thought the world of him.  When we got to the house we went inside just like we always did, to talk to the family and assess the situation.  There was Duke on the living room floor.  The veterinarian had just been there to take care of the euthanasia.  Marge was devastated and Ted comforted her like he would any other person who had a family member die.  I sat back in awe and watched how this scene unfolded.  Ted had put some blankets in the van before we left and he asked me to go outside and bring them in.  After a few more minutes of saying good-by we wrapped Duke up in the blankets and took him to the van. 

Later that day Marge came in to the funeral home to make arrangements for Duke.   A visitation and service at the funeral home was scheduled for the next day, with burial at the Neenah Animal Shelter Cemetery immediately following.  I remember driving to the local casket manufacturer in Green Bay to get a white child's casket.  When I got there I was met with the somber looks from the employees as they all thought we were having a funeral for a child.  When I told them the casket was actually for a dog the somber mood was at first turned into laughter (relief, I'm sure) but then turned serious as they couldn't believe someone actually was purchasing a casket for a dog.  I explained that the dog's owner really did treat Duke like a member of the family and wanted nothing but the best.

The next day we set Duke up in the chapel and arranged the flowers that were picked out by Marge and ones that were sent by friends.  Many of Marge's friends came to the visitation and service for Duke and then drove in the procession out to the Neenah Animal Shelter where Duke was buried, complete with a concrete burial vault to surround the casket.  Throughout this whole process, I was amazed at what was happening, and being an animal lover, I was sold on the idea.

I was just 18 years old when I had the experience with Marge Applebee and her beloved dog Duke.  But ever since then, I had it in the back of my mind that "someday", I wanted to help people take care of their pets when they die.  I went to college and became a licensed funeral director in 1994.  I have had a very satisfying career as a funeral director and my "someday" came a little sooner than I thought it would when I started working at Forrest Run in 2003, becoming the owner the following year.  I continued to work full time as a funeral director until 2009 when I decided that Forrest Run needed my full time attention.  My life and career could have taken many different turns, but I am very happy with how it all turned out.  When I look back, I have one person to thank, whom I never really have.  That person is Ted Westgor.  Had he decided to not accommodate Marge Applebee's needs as a grieving Pet Parent, I never would have had that experience, and probably wouldn't be doing what I enjoy so much today.  Thanks Ted, for taking me along on that ride.  

Education

I believe strongly in education.  Especially in the world of pet cremation, burial and memorialization.  As I've said many times to people, pet cremation is still a relatively new concept.  There are many in the Veterinary Profession that remember how things used to be before cremation was an option.  This is just one of the topics discussed during the "Lunch and Learn" sessions that we host with Veterinarians and their Support Staff. 

 At Forrest Run we have a strong connection to our Veterinary Partners.  We believe that through education and communication we will be able to keep the pet families informed of all their decisions, as well as put to rest many of the myths and untruths of pet cremation and memorialization.   Most often it is the Veterinarian, Technician, Receptionist or any member of the Support Staff that receives the initial contact about a pet that is nearing the end of life.  In addition to asking questions about the process of euthanasia there are also questions about options for the pet after death occurs.  So it is important for all of the Veterinary staff to be informed as to what the options are, as well as be able to explain the differences in those options.   If a family chooses group cremation for their pet, what happens to the cremated remains?  If a family chooses private cremation, how do they know they are getting their pet back and not somebody else's?  What type of identification procedures does the pet cremation service have in place?  Where is the facility located?  Can a family tour the facility or be there when the cremation takes place?  

Another topic that we cover during the Lunch and Learn sessions are urn and other merchandise selections that are available.  We never expect the Veterinary Providers to know all of the products we provide, so we have tried to make it as  simple as possible by having them refer families to our website www.forrestrun.com .  We take advantage of modern technology as often as we can and have recently created a QR code which will be located on all of our brochures and printed material.  This will give families immediate access to our website at any time and place with the use of a smart phone.

These are just a few topics that are currently being discussed at our Lunch and Learn sessions.  Just as in any business today, we are constantly changing and updating to increase our customer care and service.  We truly value the relationship we have with our Veterinary Partners and we consider it a vital part of our responsibility to them and the families they serve to keep them up to date and informed. 

Because we believe so strongly in this education,  we provide the Lunch and Learn sessions to any Veterinary Provider even if they don't use Forrest Run exclusively for pet cremation and memorialization.  Ask your veterinarian if they have had lunch with Forrest Run.  We would love to sit down with them!