Where we treat your pet like family.

You should make an appointment to bring your pet directly to our funeral home during normal business hours. (WE ARE NOT SET UP TO ACCEPT WALK-IN SERVICE, so please use our online appointment scheduler to make an appointment).

Our return times vary based on the number of pets we've taken in, however, it is typically about 10 - 12 business days.    

 Pet Aquamation is an environmentally friendly, gentle and natural alternative to flame-based pet cremation.  It uses water to return your pet back to nature (the process of hydrolysis), since pets and humans are already made up of 65% water. This is the same process that occurs naturally when a pet is buried, only this is an accelerated, sterile process. Two of the primary ways a body decomposes when buried are interactions with alkali and moisture in the soil (which begins the alkaline hydrolysis process).

Aquamation is a natural process in which an animal returns to nature by being placed in a gentle stream of flowing water.  A combination of gentle water flow, temperature, and alkalinity is used to accelerate the natural course of time.  At the end of the process, the body has been returned to its natural form in water.  Similar to cremation, the only solid remains are the mineral ash of the bones. The ash is a light sage or white color because it retains more minerals, is clean, and without carbon discoloration. The ashes are finer, more pure, and you receive approximately 20-30% more ashes back than from standard flame-based cremation. The ashes are sterile and are able to be kept as a memento or spread where you would like. The high nutrient mineral content makes it ideal to plant with a memorial tree or bush.

Aquamation has been around for decades and is used in the human world, too.

Individual Cremation or Aquamation —  Your pet is placed into the cremation or aquamation chamber and separated from other pets. When the cremation or aquamation process is complete, we ensure that you receive only the remains of your loved one, in our standard urn of your choice. 

Communal Cremation or Aquamation — Your pet is cremated or aquamated in a group setting with other pets. The remains are not returned to you, but scattered in a communal garden by Bay Area Mortuary Pet Services.

This is a common question and rest assured that your beloved pet is tracked throughout the entire aftercare process. At Bay Area Pet Services, we use a tracking system similar to the one we use for human cremation, which tracks your loved one through the entire pet aftercare journey. Your pet is assigned a unique identification number that is verified at multiple points through the aftercare process - from drop off at our facility, throughout our funeral home and the cremation/aquamation center. 

Unfortunately, we do not have the ability to offer witness or same day service. Since we are primarily water-based cremation (aquamation), there is no way to witness that cremation as it’s not a same day service. And we do not have the space set up or availability for a witness cremation.  

WE DO NOT ACCEPT WALK-INS because we may be away from the office during business hours or are having a funeral service at our funeral home. Please use our Online Appointment Scheduler to make an appointment to bring your pet to our funeral home.

Unfortunately we do not have the ability to offer pickup services at this time.

If you are keeping your pet’s body to say goodbye or to hold until we are open, you may find the following information helpful:

• KEEP YOUR PET COOL TO SLOW DOWN THE DECOMPOSITION PROCESS. 
• Following the passing of your pet, it’s best to place pee pads, old towels/blankets, or plastic under the pet’s head  and rear end as they may begin losing fluids. It is okay to wrap the body in the pet’s favorite blanket and then a plastic bag. Alternatively, wrapping the body in a blanket or a towel you do not mind getting soiled or disposing of and placing the  body in plastic bag or pee pad lined box or tote will help keep your home and  vehicle more sanitary.
• Keep your pet cool with ice packs, ice, or placing in a cooler with ice packs, or freezer.  If your pet is too large, you can place ice packs around and/or on the  body to keep them cooler.  If using a cooler, PLEASE PUT YOUR PET IN A SEALED PLASTIC BAG prior to putting him/her into the the cooler. We will not accept unbagged pets in ice/water.
• If there are items you would like to keep, such as a collar or sweaters, please remove them prior to releasing your pet into our care.

Depending on the cause of death, there usually aren't major changes to the body for the first couple of hours, except for the following:  

•  Body fluid leakage – Due to all the muscle relaxation, there can be body fluid leakage at any time. Elimination of urine is most common, but diarrhea is possible, as well as airway fluid from the nose and mouth. A disposable plastic-lined pad or washable towel should be placed directly under the lower half of the body and perhaps the head, as well.  
•  Rigor mortis – At some point the body’s muscles will become stiff but the timing is variable. This can happen within the first hour or not for a few hours afterwards.  
•  Eyes remain open – People don’t realize that the open position is the relaxed position. It actually takes effort and energy to keep our eyes closed. 
•  Tongue sticking out of mouth - The tongue might protrude from the mouth from all the relaxation, as well.  
• Foul smell - The body will start to smell due to the decomposition of the body. The best way to control the smell is to slow down the decomposition process through refrigeration or freezing.  Place your pet in a plastic bag, close the bag securely, then place your pet in the freezer or a cooler with ice packs, (preferably not ice).

To improve your ability to make an appointment, appointments are only available through our online appointment booking system. When our staff is with clients, they are unable to answer phone calls or emails. Our online appointment system allows you to see our open appointments and to schedule your appointment at your convenience.

At this time, our system is only setup to accept appointment deposits through PayPal. Try asking a family member or friend if they will let you use their PayPal account to make the appointment.

If an appointment isn't displayed on the day you'd like to make an appointment, that means all the appointments for that day have been booked. Only available appointments are displayed.

No, we are a funeral home that provides aftercare cremation/aquamation services only.