In The News
Viewpoint : Growing Old
Perhaps growing old is defined by knowing more people who have died than are alive. If that is so, I have been older longer than I have been young. Those remembered live constantly within my heart and mind. They are intertwined with my who. I cannot take a step...
Is a Pet Value Offering Right for You?
Are you still trying to decide if this addition to your service offerings is right for you? Still confused as to the benefits and the pitfalls? Here are a few thoughts. Why should you consider adding this sort of service to your existing business operation? Pet...
How Do You Memorialize Your Dog?
We asked Dogster readers to share stories about how they have honored a dog’s passing: I have a nose print necklace of his, a tattoo of his paw on my hip where he liked to dig his feet in for neck scratches, and his cremated remains are on a memorial shelf with his...
When a Beloved Dog Dies
From mourning to memorializing, here’s help to process your grief and honor your pup’s memory. Late last year, my beloved dog Charlotte passed away after a very fast but intense battle with cancer. Charlotte started her life living on the streets before being rescued....
All My Children Wear Fur Coats with Peggy Hoyt
You’ll love this interview! Pet lovers Peggy Hoyt and Coleen Ellis spend a bit of time talking about all aspects of caring for spoiled little creatures, and how their lives enrich our lives. Listen through to hear so many elements of being a good pet parent, and loving…
Pets “Dash” Across Our Hearts
It would be difficult for me to imagine anyone in the death care profession who doesn’t recognize how terribly valuable it is to help families create meaningful experiences in order to honor, mourn and memorialize the lives of loved ones so nowdeeply missed. For...
Great Bend Tribune Pawnee County
Pawnee County native who has received national recognition has authored a book that provides information on how to remember and honor pets when they die. Coleen Ellis of Greenwood, Ind., is the daughter of Ann Ellis and the late Larry Ellis of Rozel…
Inside: ICCFA 2011 Convention & Expo Program
A Bright Future • Cremation Coaching Live! • Pet Loss Professionals Conference • Green services • Embalming • Cemetery infrastructure • Ethics • Finances • Management • Marketing • Social media ... & much more! • Andrea Vittum on starting a green burial section •...
Pet advocate honored by veterinary center
Greenwood resident Coleen Ellis, founder and president of Pet Angel Memorial Center in Carmel, has received the 2006 PETS Award, an honor presented annually by Indianapolis Veterinary Emergency Center (IVEC). Ellis was recognized during IVEC’s 8th annual…
7 dos and don’ts for starting pet death-care services
More funeral homes, crematories and cemeteries are looking at pet services as a possible new revenue stream, but what does it take to run a successful pet death-care business? Many organizations are intrigued by the idea of extending their service offerings to include...
Focusing on Pet Parents: Coleen Ellis building an empire
Coleen Ellis, partial owner of Pet Angel Memorial Center, is so accustomed to serving pet parents just like those who have lost a human family member that she is sometimes surprised by the reaction she gets from traditional funeral directors…
To Offer, or Not to Offer, Pet Death Care Services—That is the Question
Advice on adding pet loss services to your existing business model from an expert consultant. I called her my fur-kid. And, everyone around me knew that’s how I felt too. Mico was treated just like a family member, along with all of the benefits…
Animals break your heart just once
Coleen Ellis provides memorial services for beloved pets Coleen Ellis had been an animal lover all her life, but it was the death of her beloved dog Mico, whom she still calls her baby, in 2003 that inspired her to start up Pet Angel Memorial Center, 172 E. Carmel...
A Funeral for FIDO
“You had him 17 years. What more do you want.?” These are the words Penny Mitchell heard when her elderly cat, Quickie, passed away. What Penny wanted were people who understood the role Quickie played in her life, and who respected her feelings of loss…
Coleen Ellis: Pet Loss Pioneer
The certification came from Dr. Alan Wolfelt’s Center for Loss & Life Transition in Fort Collins, Colo. It’s now clear that even though Ellis sold the majority of her stake in Pet Angel Memorial Center, she has no intention of quietly retiring into the shadows....
A Day In The Life of a Pet Funeral Director
It’s been four years now since Pet Angel Memorial Center opened its doors and what a four years it’s been! Many times my funeral colleagues have asked what a “day in the life” looks like for a “pet funeral director.” Many times my answer is that it looks much like the...
9 Things Never to Say to Someone Who’s Lost a Pet
Your friend’s pet just passed away, and she’s devastated. While you know it’s a sad time, you may not be able to grasp the emotional turmoil she’s experiencing if you’ve never owned a pet. “Pet parents are made to feel guilty when their grief is more extreme…
The Price of love
There’s a beautiful story on the internet that every pet lover needs to read. It’s called “A Living Love.” Beautifully and so poignantly, the story talks about the three most memorable days in loving a precious pet. The first one is the day he comes home to join the...
The Rainbow
Somewhere… Over The Mysterious Rainbow. Most every pet lover who’s experienced the death of a precious pet is familiar with the touching story Rainbow Bridge. This beautiful description is of a magical place animals go after they die, waiting on their human to join...
Obsessions
Facing the death of a beloved cat is heart-breaking, and two Hearts Pet Loss Center is trying to help us in that journey. It was launched by Coleen Ellis in 2009, who previously founded Pet Angel Memorial Center in 2004 due to the personal…
Celebrate Spring and thank you!
Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance. –Yoko Ono As we bid Old Man Winter “adios,”…
Helpful Reading Reflections & Resources
Celebrate Spring
As we bid Old Man Winter “adios,” the innocence and freshness of Spring does seem to be lurking close by.
This time of year that can truly represent the innocence and mystery of a desired change to replace the Winter’s dreary dark and cold with warmth and light.
A powerful fistpump for the strength needed to put one’s face to the sun and shout “let’s do this! It’s been an honor
Somewhere The Rainbow
Somewhere… Over The Mysterious Rainbow.
Most every pet lover who’s experienced the death of a precious pet is familiar with the touching story Rainbow Bridge. This beautiful description is of a magical place animals go after they die, waiting on their human to join them, crossing Rainbow Bridge together to be in a paradise for an eternity.
The Price of Love
There’s a beautiful story on the internet that every pet lover needs to read. It’s called “A Living Love.” Beautifully and so poignantly, the story talks about the three most memorable days in loving a precious pet.
The first one is the day he comes home to join the family. He’s finding his own way, and the family begins to settle into their new normal as a unit.
Full of memories and freshness as this new life together begins.