| With a tremendous love for animals, Colleen Mihelich | | | | to honor their cherished friends with elegance, dignity |
| has an understanding of the deep grief associated | | | | and honor, and that their pets deserve the very best. |
| with their death, something she remembered when she | | | | That's why her company searches for the finest |
| lost her quarter horse named Pepper when she was | | | | craftsmanship and quality. |
| 16 years old. Many of us have been touched by the | | | | Her company also provides grieving support, and |
| loss of a beloved pet, and since Colleen understands | | | | people can find links to pet loss information and pet |
| the heartache of that loss, she has devoted her | | | | loss counseling websites to help them say goodbye to |
| career to a company and website called It is | | | | their beloved pet. It's particularly helpful for parents |
| dedicated to helping others honor the loss of their pets | | | | assisting children with a pet loss. Guests on the |
| through a pet memorial. | | | | website can create virtual pet memorials via a living |
| Although Pepper was gone, Mihelich knew that the | | | | pet memorial to share loving memories and favorite |
| love she felt for her horse would never go away. | | | | stories about their pets with family and friends, including |
| That's why she decided that people needed a way to | | | | a written tribute, and dialog and photographs that honor |
| help keep their memories alive and created an online | | | | their pet's memory. |
| community, a pet memorial website. Here, grieving pet | | | | Bereavement counselor Marty Tousley says, "One of |
| owners can choose handcrafted pet memorial | | | | the biggest myths about the grief that accompanies |
| products including custom pet grave markers, memorial | | | | pet loss is that it's somehow different than grieving the |
| pet urns, garden statue pet memorial stones, keepsake | | | | loss of a human. When love is lost it does not matter if |
| boxes, pet portrait and art and tribute paintings, glass | | | | it's a human or an animal, because we still feel grief." |
| art, burial boxes and more. | | | | The American Pet Products Manufacturers |
| We've all found little nuggets of wisdom or inspirational | | | | Association (APPMA) 2007-2008 National Pet |
| stories that have helped us move on," said Mihelich, | | | | Owners survey states that 63 percent of U.S. |
| founder of Peternity. Many of us found little nuggets of | | | | households own a pet, which equates to 71.1 million |
| wisdom or inspirational stories along the way that have | | | | homes, up from 56 percent in 1988. APPMA estimated |
| helped us move on," said Mihelich, founder of Peternity. | | | | the spending of $40.8 billion on pets in 2007 in the |
| "The loss of a pet is a very difficult thing. That's why | | | | United States. |
| grieving the loss is an important step towards healing; | | | | "It would be impossible to say how much we |
| just about as important to many people as the loss of | | | | appreciate all that Peternity did in helping us with our |
| a human being." | | | | stone for Buddy. It is just beautiful and we couldn't |
| Continually on the lookout for unique, handcrafted | | | | possibly be happier with how it turned out," said Alan |
| pieces of art to help her customers express their love, | | | | and Stephanie Thomas. |
| joy and memories, Mihelich believes that people wish | | | | |