Macon business that gives pet owners an alternative to burial, cremation. What’s aquamation?
For Middle Georgia pet owners who have to face the difficulty of what to do with their pet’s remains, a Macon business offers a solution that is scarcely available anywhere else.
Petamorphosis, owned by Lynne Pettite, opened in July 2023 and offers pet aquamation services. Aquamation breaks down a pet’s body in a more environmentally conscious and water based method rather than flame cremation, according to Petamorphosis.
Aquamation, often referred to as water cremation, is an alternative to burial and fire cremation. It is done with a mixture of 95% warmed water and a 5% alkali, which mimics the natural burial process only at a faster pace, according to Pettite.
“With so many pet parents living in temporary housing, aquamation offers a perfect solution,” she said. “We not only aquamate dogs and cats, but have also aquamated hamsters, birds, turtles, pot bellied pigs, and a bearded dragon.”
Pettite runs the store with her daughter, Tiffany, and said they just brought on her granddaughter Lily to serve as the company’s visual artist. The family dog, Jellybean, also contributes to the business as the customer comfort dog.
Pettite said Jellybean has never been formally trained to assist but somehow instinctively knows when people are sad. She said when customers come into the store to leave their pets or come to pick them up, Jellybean knows whether they need a hug or whether to just sit quietly at their feet.
Pettite said she started the business as a way to honor pets for the huge part they play in the everyday lives of their owners. She emphasized that pets become beloved members of families and are often responsible for keeping older owners company, or those who choose to not have children.
“We felt that by giving pet parents a more gentle goodbye it would be a great way of honoring them while having a positive impact on the environment,” she said. “And, water-based pet cremation is gaining popularity among pet owners who are looking for these kinds of alternatives.”
Pettite said she also works closely with the People & Pets Project and local clinics to offer free services to those who can’t afford aquamation services, with the recommendation from a veterinarian. She explained that after pet parents have exhausted all means trying to save their pets, they often accumulate huge bills in doing so.
“We work with them so they might have their babies home with them again,” she said.
Pettite said the process of aquamation is also beneficial to the environment. She said the process is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, producing less greenhouse gas emissions and leaving no toxic byproducts.
She said although there are regulations in place for crematories, pet crematories are not as strictly enforced, allowing pollution in the air that is not likely monitored.
Petamorphosis offers to return ashes to pet owners in a carved box made from natural wood and an ink paw print — and nose print when possible — in a decorative frame. The company also provides owners with an aquamation certificate.
Pettite said sometimes, for particular reasons, people may not want anything from their pets’ remains. So the business also offers a communal service where it keeps the ashes and takes them to a local farm to spread them under a huge oak tree or near a lake.
The business is only one of three of its kind in the Georgia, Pettite said. Pettite said it’s been a wonderful experience to open the door for people who had no prior knowledge that aquamation existed for both pets and humans.
“We have met some wonderful people in this process and they all seem to say they have a peace about their pet being handled the way we do,” she said. “That is so much more than I expected - it makes us so proud to hear that because it’s our goal to make an otherwise difficult situation into a beautiful and happy memory.
Petamorphosis is at 3312 Northside Drive, Suite C-160 in Macon and can be reached at 478-714-3550.
