Cholla Afterlife's Compassionate Approach to Pet Afterlife Care

February 8, 2024

Cholla Afterlife has been a long time coming. Nearly two decades after experiencing the devastating losses of Peanut and Jefferey, the first dog and cat that I ever raised from babies, I am opening Cholla Afterlife Aquamation for Pets, an eco-conscious pet funeral home in the most beautiful place on earth, right outside of Saguaro National Park in Marana, Arizona.

My initial goal in opening a pet funeral home was to ensure that pet owners are never left wondering, as I was many years ago, if they are receiving their own pet's ashes or paw prints or fur clippings in their keepsakes. So I decided to open a pet crematorium where people would know for sure that everything they received after cremation did indeed belong to their pet.

With a plan for a pet crematorium in mind, in 2019 I attended the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories annual conference in Colorado to learn everything I could about starting the business. But something crazy happened. I learned about a process called aquamation, and my entire outlook on pet afterlife care changed. No fire or flames? No harmful emissions? Less energy use? ... And your pet is cradled in warm water while they return to the earth, leaving behind only a nutrient dense water that can serve as fertilizer. Yes, please! So I visited a pet aquamation facility in Colorado before heading home to Arizona, and the decision was made. I was going into the field of pet aquamation.

Once I decided on this beautiful, gentle water-based process as the basis of Cholla Afterlife's business model, everything else fell into place. I decided to only use eco-friendly urns and biodegradable scatter tubes. I am also arranging with local artists to create artwork and jewelry that incorporate pets' ashes so I can support other small local businesses while honoring my customers' pets. 

Living in the desert, it's important to me that I be a good steward of water since it is a limited resource. So the idea of re-using the water from the aquamation process to fertilize plants and give them life from our pets' lives is critical. 

Sustainable Farewells: Adopting Eco-Friendly Practices
Aquamation is simply the most environmentally responsible afterlife care process for pets. While conventional methods, like burial and cremation, are still common practice, aquamation is the only afterlife option that is truly peaceful and environmentally conscientious. Other methods release harmful substances into the environment. Aquamation has a small carbon footprint and does not produce any harmful emissions of greenhouse gases. Cholla Afterlife's aquamation process recycles as much water as possible, thereby contributing to our community-wide effort to save water here in the desert. In fact, aquamation uses only as much water as you would use to bathe your pet.

Giving Back to the Community
Cholla Afterlife is all about giving back to the community. By providing memorial products that have been lovingly and carefully produced right here in the southwest desert, Cholla Afterlife is proud to support local artists and other businesses. Whether you would like a painting, jewelry, or even a sculpture that incorporates your pet's ashes, we have artists ready to create these one-of-a-kind items to keep your pet's memory close to your heart.

What's more, every purchase made at Cholla Afterlife contributes to the health and happiness of animals at a local nonprofit organization, Old Souls Animal Rescue and Retirement Home (www.oldsouls.org). Located in Picture Rocks, a rural area in northwest Tucson, Old Souls gives sanctuary to geriatric, special needs, and hospice animals in our community, allowing them to live out their final days in love and comfort.

Choose Cholla Afterlife

Whether you need help dealing with the illness or passing of your pet, or you would just like to purchase some beautiful and unique memorial keepsakes, Cholla Afterlife is always here to support you.