This pet cemetery is no movie

HERMITAGE, Pa. —  A local funeral home operator thinks pet owners need a place to grieve, too.

The John Flynn Pet Funeral Home and Crematory just opened on the grounds of Hillcrest Memorial Park on East State Street. It will provide pet cemetery services as well.

The 2,500-square-foot funeral home has two viewing rooms for calling hours and a chapel for services for dearly departed pets.

It is one of first pet funeral homes in the country, said Bob Fells, chief operating officer for the International Cemetery and Funeral Association in Virginia. The only other pet funeral home he knows of opened earlier this year in Indiana.

Funeral home operators definitely are watching the trend, however, because they know how devoted people are to their pets, Fells said.

“It’s a growth area,” he said.

John Flynn, who owns the pet funeral home and John Flynn Funeral Home and Crematory across the street, said some people grieve the death of a pet just like the passing of a family member.