You chose how they lived. You can choose how they’re remembered.
When the time comes, most families simply take whatever aftercare the clinic hands them — never realising there was a choice at all. There is. And it’s as simple as asking.
What you can doIt takes one sentence at your next vet visit.
Care that treats them as family — because they are
Choosing PetAftercare isn’t really about a better cremation. It’s about everything around it — the help to face the decision, the goodbye itself, and the way your pet is cared for after — to make the hardest time a little more bearable for your family.
Before — when you’re facing the decision
A quality-of-life guide
A simple tear-off checklist, through your clinic, to help you feel confident about when the time is truly right — not too soon, not too late.
A pet loss guide
Plain, practical support for you and your children through what’s coming — so you’re not facing it without a hand to hold.
The goodbye itself
An unhurried, comfortable space
Clinics that work with us have a comfort-room kit, so your family gets a private, gentle farewell — never rushed.
The CliniCareBag™
Your pet travels in their own individually numbered bag — one many children draw on, or tuck a note or favourite toy into, as a last goodbye.
While they’re in our care
A private tracking page
A link, just for your pet — follow every step from your clinic to their ashes coming home. No wondering, no waiting in the dark.
Spoken to at every step
We read your note to your pet and speak to them by name as they’re cared for — the same love they knew at home.
A farewell you choose
From a respectful shared cremation to a fully private return of just your pet’s ashes — you decide what’s right for your family.
After — keeping them close
A lasting memorial page
A personal space to celebrate them — your favourite photos, a tribute, and memories from the people who loved them. Yours to keep.
A paw print & fur locket — free
A keepsake paw print and a locket of their fur, included free with every Heritage and Signature Private — small things that mean everything.
Keepsakes from local makers
Handcrafted urns and memorial pieces from NZ artisans like Loburn Furniture — made to last, and supporting local craft.
The only pet aftercare in New Zealand with home pickup and home delivery.
With our Signature Private service your pet is collected from your home and their ashes are hand-delivered back to your door — a complete, dignified farewell that never leaves home. No other provider in the country offers it.
“A cremation is a cremation” — isn’t true
In the moment, you’re in shock. A form is put in front of you, a default box is already ticked, and it feels like one less thing to think about. So most people never ask what actually happens next.
Behind that default, many mass-market providers handle pets in bulk — collected in bags, batched together, returned weeks later with no way to know whose ashes are whose. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can ask for something better, and your clinic can make it happen.
You don’t need to know the industry — you just need to ask
Whoever your clinic uses, these are fair questions about your own pet. Ask them now, while it’s calm, and you’ll know exactly what you’re saying yes to later.
- 1
Can I follow what happens, or do I just wait?
Most providers go quiet the moment your pet is collected. Ask whether there’s any way to see where your pet is — some give you a private, live tracking page from collection to return.
- 2
How is my pet collected and carried?
“In a bag” can mean a plastic rubbish bag. Ask what your pet actually travels in — dignified providers use a proper, individually identified container, not disposal sacks.
- 3
Where does the cremation happen, and how do I know the ashes are my pet’s?
Ask where the facility is and what assurance you get that what comes home is your pet — individual numbering and a certificate are reasonable things to expect.
- 4
What comes back to me, and when?
Ask about timing and what’s included — the ashes, a certificate, a paw print, a memorial. Knowing now means no surprises on the hardest day.
Worth asking — and worth passing on to another pet owner.
“Thank you for reading my note to Timmy. I have an outside candle burning for him — his wild cat and neighbour friends are honouring his passing.”
You don’t need to switch vets — just ask
PetAftercare is available through veterinary clinics across the Canterbury region. Your own vet can arrange it — all you have to do is ask for PetAftercare by name.
Ask by name
Tell your clinic you’d like PetAftercare. That’s the whole step.
Decide ahead of time
Knowing your options now means one less impossible decision on the hardest day.
It’s one simple ask
Next time you’re at your vet, just say you’d like PetAftercare. That’s the whole step — they’ll arrange the rest. And if you know someone with a pet, pass this on so they know they have the choice too.
Available through veterinary clinics across the Canterbury region.