When a pet passes away it is devastating. A member of your family is gone, and that can be difficult to cope with. Sometimes you can see it coming and you give yourself the proper time to say goodbye. A popular story in canine news this summer was about a terminally ill dog and his owner who traveled the country crossing things off the canine’s bucket list. Unfortunately, not all pet parents have that much time to spend with their dog at the end of his life.
Remy Bibaud was best friends with a white Labrador named Olive. The two were nearly inseparable until Olive fell ill in 2012 and Bibaud had to make the toughest decision that a pet owner is ever faced with. It was her first experience dealing with pet loss on her own. She was raised with family pets, but this was the first time that she was the one in charge of making the decision.
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Through this loss, she realized that pet parents needed a simple and affordable way to remember their pet. She founded Cherished Ones LLC with her friend Lori Davidson, and together they market Pet Perennials. The unique product combines flower seeds and nutrient-rich ingredients with a small portion of cremated remains. These ingredients are turned into seed wafers, which can be used to start a memorial garden in memory of the pet.
Bibaud says that Olive was the inspiration for her business endeavor. She says:
“She was truly the inspiration for this. I got her back in a box, while it was a pretty box, it was just a box that represented this beautiful life. I thought about, what more can we do with that? And then I fell in love with this agricultural technique. We put it together, and it works, and here we are.”
Incorporating cremated remains is optional when ordering Pet Perennials. Some dog owners may prefer to bury their beloved pet and plant the seed wafers near the gravesite. Pet Perennials are available as customized orders or they can be shipped as make-it-yourself kits. The entrepreneurs have a patent pending for their product.
According to Bibaud, spreading the word about the company is the most challenging part of the job. They’ve been attending local shows and teaming up with shelters and rescue organizations to attend their events. When they promote Pet Perennials they also promote the organization that they are teaming up with. The company has even founded a fundraising program called Giving Back.
Each of the shelters that work with Pet Perennials receives a unique code. When customers order seed wafers they can enter the code and that organization will receive a portion of the proceeds. What better way to memorialize your pet? You’ll get the seed wafers to start a memorial garden, and a charity of your choosing will also get a small donation in your pet’s honor.
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We’ve had the misfortune of having pets pass away in the past. To say that it is devastating is an understatement. To us, it is like losing a member of our family. Keeping the ashes of a cremated pet doesn’t interest our family. We prefer to have a more traditional funeral, and a Pet Perennial seems like a great way to mark the grave and leave a lasting reminder to remember our beloved companion.
We have a multi-pet family. Currently we have 2 dogs, 3 cats, 2 bunnies and 2 hamsters. Since we have children, every death in our family is a big deal – even if it is just a fish. Yes, we’ve had funerals for fish before. When I read about Pet Perennials, my first thought was, “What if we had purchased a seed wafer every time we lost a pet?” We could have planted them all in one flowerbed and had a beautiful memorial garden to remember all of our lost family members. I think our family may have a new tradition, and a beautiful new addition to our lawn.
