NEAR SUMMERSIDE, PEI, Canada -- Hard-hearted people may scoff at Kent Simpson for devoting much of his life to pets – dead ones at that.

“Those people probably shouldn’t own pets,” said Kent, the founder and operator of Angels Haven, a crematorium and pet cemetery. His motivation arises from a life-long love and appreciation for companion animals.

Kent’s work starts with receiving or picking up remains and consoling pet-owners. Tears may flow. “I cry with them sometimes,” he said. “People’s reactions may be different. I need to be aware of their thoughts and feelings.

“Some people come to leave their dog’s body with me and then almost need to be dragged away. They may have a cardboard casket, often with flowers. Some are really emotional. I try to adjust to each situation.

“One lady needed more than a day before her family could convince her to take her dog’s body off the bed where it died. She brought the dog to me and then stayed for two hours, crying.”

Is this morbid work? “Not at all,” said Kent, who also works on a large potato farm. “When it’s time to bury animals or place them in the crematorium, I consider it like strapping them into a bus seat for a journey, a final one, to the place they’re going next.” So he’s a travel agent to the afterlife.

“We named our business after being given an old horse named Angel,” Kent said. “Her two years with us became her final haven.”

Kent’s brother, Claude, who lives next door, crafts pinewood urns and caskets for the deceased animals. “Many people, including us, treat their animals like people,” Claude said. “They really are part of the family.

“Different people want different animals cremated. We get enquiries about everything from birds to horses. Once, a customer wanted his guinea pig’s eyes glued shut before cremation so it couldn’t see where it was going. So we did that.”

“We take no shortcuts,” Kent said. “We follow the pet-owners’ wishes.”

Some clients ask Kent to save bits of fur for them. He also arranges for the engraving of animals’ names and birth-death dates for the urns that may appear on living-room mantels. Later, Angels Haven may add a chapel for memorial services.

“We have cool storage for animals that die during the winter and need to wait for burial until the ground thaws in the spring,” Kent said.

Since launching the business, Kent has learned the science of cremation – how to apply the best burning techniques, gather the ashes and pack them into urns.

“A 60-pound dog produces one-and-a-half pounds of ashes,” he said. “The cremation happens in a big furnace with two oil burners. It’ll hold the largest dog. There’s a lot of heat.”

Grieving pet-owners and the dead animals deserve solemn respect. “I’ve thought about such a business for most of my life,” Kent said. “I always buried just about everything, including rabbits and birds. My mother helped by standing at the graves and reading from a Bible.”

Most veterinarians have contacts at a crematorium. When animals die at a clinic, but owners don’t claim the remains, they end up in a “mass cremation”, entering the furnace piled together.

Kent and his wife, Joanne, enjoy their own pets: Bosco, an 80-pound dog named for a policeman on a TV show; two horses, Jo-Jo and Boo, the latter a former racehorse; and cats called Cuddles, Flame and George.

“But I don’t know if I could cremate my own dog,” Kent said. “As pet-owners, we’ve dealt with the loss of pets, which is never easy. There’s the helplessness of failing to save a pet after an accident or illness, the sorrow of a last clinic visit and the uncertainty of choosing a final resting place.”

The pet cemetery, neatly fenced and carefully groomed, is quiet, circled by trees. It’s about 200-feet-square with space for expansion. “Pet-owners may wish to spread ashes there,” Kent said. “We try to serve all possible needs.”

People keen to remember their deceased pets can visit the rural site. “Some like the idea of sitting there to read a book or hear the birds,” Kent said. He provides various grave markers.

Most cremation-and-urn deals for cats or dogs cost Cdn $150 to $250. Burial’s a little more expensive at Cdn $300-plus, depending on the casket.

“We try to keep our prices reasonable,” Kent said. “Poor people love their pets too. In other provinces, some pet cemeteries charge less, but then invoice for a few dollars per year. With us, it’s a one-time deal. Everything’s finished, put to rest.”

As for the bottom line: “It’s hard to lose pets,” Claude said. “But the years of enjoyment together easily are worth it.”


Caring for dead pets, Kent solemnly
helps people during times of grief.


Bosco and the boss: Kent's dog bows respectfully.

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