Cremation not just for people

On the left is the pet crematory, humans are processed on the right. Photo by Shelley Smith, Salisbury Post.

Urns for pets come in many sizes and shapes. Pictured are urns that you can wear as a necklace or on a key chain. Photo by Shelley Smith, Salisbury Post.

Cremation Concepts will transfer your pet from your home to their facility. Photo by Shelley Smith, Salisbury Post.

Brent Lyerly shows the altar and remembrance facilities of Cremation Concepts. Photo by Shelley Smith, Salisbury Post.

By Shelley Smithssmith@salisburypost.com

It's understood that all dogs go to heaven, and Cremation Concepts of Salisbury has made it possible to keep more than memories of your pets with you forever.

Cremation Concepts, owned by Brent and Patti Lyerly, opened in May 2009 and provides separate crematory services for people and pets.

In state-of-the-art crematories, pets are cremated one at a time so you always know the ashes you receive are those from your pet. Brent Lyerly says Cremation Concepts is the first crematorium in North Carolina to have this type of facility.

"When I decided I was going to build a crematory, I knew I wanted one for humans and pets as well," he said. "Pets are a major part of our family, so we formed Cremation Concepts to serve the entire family."

Lyerly said the processor for pets is identical to the one for humans, and the bones of pets are granulated, just as they are in humans.

Pets get their own identification tag and are stored in a separate three-tiered cooler for 24 hours before cremation.

"With this facility, my goal was to let families know that the remains I'm giving them back are 100 percent the remains of their pet," Lyerly said.

Cremation Concepts offers families a grieving area and an altar for gathering and remembering a lost pet.

Urns of several types are available, including key chains and necklaces that hold small amounts of your pet's ashes. Urns can also be ordered and custom made.

Patti Lyerly, a licensed clinical social worker, can also provide counseling and help with grieving the loss of a pet.

"What we have for humans, we've tried to do the same thing for pets," Lyerly said.

Lyerly also works with Faithful Friends and the Humane Society, scattering the ashes of communal pet cremations in their memorial gardens. Communal pets are usually received through veterinarians, Lyerly said.

Cremation Concepts hopes to one day offer a grave removal service for pet owners who initially buried their pets and would like to cremate them. Lyerly is looking into offering burial services for pets.

Cremation Concepts offers transportation of pets from the home to the crematory, transporting the pet on a stretcher to their facility.

Each human and pet cremated receives an identification tag before the ashes are placed in a tin.

Pricing varies according to weight. For example, cremation of a small pet up to 25 pounds will cost $125, and a large animal (100 to 150 pounds) will cost $200. For service animals and law enforcement K9s, the cost is $45.

Cremation for an adult human costs $750, a veteran is $600, and children 3 months to 12 years is $295.

Urns are available for purchase at the facility or online at www.cremationconcepts.org.

Since May, Cremation Concepts has cremated the bodies of 96 humans and 47 pets.

"We're open to whatever the family wants," Lyerly said.

Cremation Concepts, "Serving the Entire Family," is located at 523 S. Main St. in Salisbury, and is a branch of Lyerly Funeral Home. For more information, call 704-633-00K9 (0059), or visit www.cremationconcepts.org.