Old Yeller, Little Ann Old Dan from Where the Red Fern Grows and Marley from the recent box office hit Marley and Me have shown the ways a pet’s memory can linger and inspire even after its death. Among the ways to honor a beloved animal after its passing, a new product line has been launched by a Colorado woman was dissatisfied by traditional methods of laying a pet to rest.
Anyone who has endured the death of a pet may know that an array of animal condolence cards is already out on the market.
However, Virginia Polley of Lookout Mountain, Colorado, is trying to infuse a bit of class into the grave business of pet burial, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports.
The entrepreneur has begun working with local and regional artists to churn out custom cremation urns which fit each pet’s personality. For about $190, the glass urns can feature oil-based portraits or epitaphs adorned with appropriate ornamentation.
Polley told the news source she’s considered the idea ever since she wrote a business plan on making crematory urns while at graduate school.
According to Costhelper.com, the cremation of dogs that weigh more than 50 pounds can cost up to $350. 
Blog posts Categorized under ‘Pet Rescue News’
Customized urns available for departed pets
Black Friday means sale on black shelter pets
In folklore dating back to the Middle Ages, black cats have been thought to bring bad luck and conjure images of witches and demons. In the legends of the British Isles black dogs have been likened to ghastly apparitions – evidence that evil may be lurking.
Perhaps that’s why owners of pet shelters find it so hard to find homes for their darker animals, a phenomenon described within the industry as "black dog syndrome."
On Black Friday, the managers of the Animal Rescue League in Bedford, Maine, are encouraging the adoption of black pets by offering a 50 percent discount on the animals, the Concord Monitor reports.
Danielle Hasting, the shelter’s vice president of adoptions and customer service told the news source, "We’re hoping to drive more traffic into the shelter and get more animals adopted out."
She added, "Black animals in general tend to linger longer in shelters. We thought this was a fun way to do it."
The Black Friday sale will apply to black adult cats, dogs and rabbits. With the discount, cats can be adopted for $90, dogs for $125 and rabbits for $25.
According to the Humane Society, a total of 10 percent of owned dogs in the U.S. were adopted from an animal shelter.
Florida man chooses pet pig over house
Blinded by affection for their animals, owners may be able to overlook their pets’ faults when they occasionally dig into a flowerbed or stain a carpet. However, when town officials complain about the size, smell and danger of the pet, the protests may be difficult to neglect.
Rob Falk of Southwest Ranches, Florida was recently forced to choose between his 300-pound Yorkshire pig and his home, CBS affiliate Channel 4 reports.
Visitors to the rural town, known for its pastoral lifestyle, will see horses trotting on roads and chickens strolling across lawns.
Strawberry the pig, however, was too much for town officials to take. Last week Falk was asked to get rid of the pig or move out.
"They have big tusks that come out of the sides of their mouth. It’s not a pet," town councilman Freddy Fisikelli told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He added, "With that type of pig, the smell would be a problem and you’ve got the problem with danger," as well.
Falk, who considers Strawberry one of his children, told the news source that he and his family will keep their pet and move out of their rental home in Southwest Ranches.
Though considered a bizarre pet choice, pigs are known to be owned by celebrities including George Clooney, Jessica Simpson and Luke Perry.
Los Angeles pets find new hot spot
Los Angeles is home to rows of chic spas, boutiques and eateries which give its most fashionable residents the chance to indulge and be seen. But where are the LA pets to go when their owners are busy glamorizing and dining? For the last two years, the city’s most posh pets have steered their owners to Belmont Shore’s modish pet store, Pussy & Pooch.
The electronic music, color motifs and clientele of the store gave one columnist at the Long Beach Press Telegram reason to describe the retailer as more of a booming dance floor than neighborhood pet shop.
Complete with a health spa and sushi bar, Pussy & Pooch provides pet care that offers luxury accessories and – even better – raw meat.
"It’s food as nature intended," co-owner and operator Janene Zakrajsek told the news source. "Cats are natural carnivores. They need to eat meat, not grain, not filler, not kibble."
Purchasing local products when possible, and always opting for natural, organic foods, Zakrajsek stocks the store’s shelves with cuisine that is high in animal protein, with smaller amounts of plant products to simulate what a carnivore may find in its prey.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, annual costs of caring for cats and dogs can range from $670 to $1,580.
Abandoned pet cemetery draws special attention
Pet care can hold many different meanings to animal owners. Some seek to provide their dogs with a leader and companion, taking relish in a game of fetch or a new trick. Others, who consider their pets to be members of the family, feature their dogs and cats in Christmas cards and fit them with the highest quality winter sweaters.
A man in Joplin, Missouri, has taken pet care to mean honoring the memories of the animals which have in some way enriched a household.
Melvin Hutton told St. Louis Fox affiliate Fox2Now he is working to restore a pet cemetery that has been deteriorating after it was left abandoned years ago.
Records of the cemetery show that the grounds were established in 1949 and expanded in 1973. According to Richard Copeland, president of the Joplin Humane Society’s board of directors, the last official animal burial occurred in 1979.
Though many pet owners still bury their animals in Joplin’s cemetery on their own, Hutton believes owners who laid their pets to rest years ago would be unhappy with the graveyard’s current conditions.
According to Dr Amy Kurowski of St. Marks Veterinary Hospital, about 90 percent of pets die by euthanasia performed in a vet’s office, the Village Voice reports.