Pet owners are willing to spend millions on pet funeral services

Service is well received

Mr. Ho Dac Trung (owner of a pet funeral home in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) said that the demand for this service compared to the same period last year increased by more than 40%.

In 2023, Mr. Trung will receive an average of 25-30 cases/week. The processing time for each case is about 3 hours, with prices ranging from 540,000 to 3.9 million VND/case.

The increasing demand for pet burial has led to the emergence of many facilities providing this service (Photo: Character provided).

The highest price includes services such as burial, cremation, and funeral arrangements. In case the pet owner does not need to organize a funeral, the maximum price will be 2.9 million VND depending on the weight of the pet.

"After the Covid-19 pandemic, it seems that people are more affectionate, attached, and loving towards their pets. They don't want to see their companions of more than 10 years, even 20 years, thrown in the trash. Therefore, they are willing to spend money to keep the ashes of their pets as a memorial," said Mr. Trung.

The company's customers are usually students and office workers with average incomes and above. For young people and students who do not qualify, Mr. Trung still considers funeral support and only charges for gas. In particular, some customers who have gone abroad and left their pets for their families to take care of also contact the funeral facility and book a "funeral" service in advance when their pets pass away.

Pets have their footprints taken, fur and nails retained before cremation (Photo: Character provided).

Upon receiving information from the customer, Trung and his team went to the customer's home to receive the pet's body, waiting for the owner to see and pet the pet for the last time.

He then takes the pet back to the processing facility to preserve the fur and toenails, and puts them in a glass jar as a keepsake for the owner. During the embalming process, the facility staff will use alcohol to clean the pet, dry the fur, and spray perfume. After that, each animal will have ink applied to its feet and a certificate of service usage printed on it.

Finally, the pet is taken to the crematorium for about 1-3 hours right at the funeral home. This is a simply designed incinerator, with insulation, creating a burning chamber hot enough for cremation. All procedures are photographed and videotaped for the pet owner to review.

The owner's words to his deceased pet moved Mr. Trung many times (Photo: Character provided).

Witnessing many owners mourning the passing of their pets, Mr. Trung was moved many times but had to restrain himself because this was a special job. The person organizing the funeral of a pet must maintain a calm attitude, create trust, and provide spiritual support for the owner.

"When I was a student, I had to throw my deceased pet in the trash because I couldn't handle it any other way. I was very sad and haunted for days. That's what gave me the idea of ​​opening a pet funeral home," Trung confided.

Recently, he held a funeral for two dogs that died due to an electrical accident. Mr. Trung was especially moved because these two dogs helped save their owner's life.

Although only open 12 hours a day, the pet funeral home of Mr. Nguyen Phu Quy (residing in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City) receives more than 250 cases a month, an average of 7-10 cases a day. This number has tripled compared to 3 years ago, when Mr. Quy first opened this service.

With the same method as Mr. Trung, the price at Quy's facility ranges from 550,000 to 1,850,000 VND. For pets weighing over 15kg, the price will be higher.

Customers will receive an urn, a jar containing pet nails and hair, and a certificate of service use (Photo: Provided by the character).

According to the owner of the funeral home, the awareness of the younger generation in raising and burying pets is increasing, as owners always consider pets as family members. They themselves do not want their pets to be thrown away, causing environmental pollution.

"The facility is far from the city center, so it takes about 30 minutes to 2 hours to travel, and the burial processing time is not too long. The demand for pet burial services is increasing due to reasonable costs, cheaper than burial because there are very few cemeteries for pets in Ho Chi Minh City," Mr. Quy shared.

Professional career

Ms. Lam Nha Ca (34 years old, living in Ho Chi Minh City) still cannot forget the moment when her dog of 13 years died of pneumonia.

Having said goodbye to her dog in pain, Ms. Ca did not want her close companion to end up in the trash. Therefore, she searched for a pet burial service in the city.

After agreeing on the price and method of implementation, the funeral home quickly arrived at Ms. Ca's house within 1 hour. Ms. Ca did not directly witness the process of embalming and cremating the dog, but watched the video and images recorded by the funeral home.

"I was very touched when I saw those pictures. Although I was very sad, I still felt comforted when the people providing this service took good care of my dog," Ms. Ca recalled.

The dog that Ms. Ca raised for more than 13 years was given a proper burial (Photo: Character provided).

Receiving the pet's ashes less than 3 hours later, Ms. Ca brought them back to her hometown in Ben Tre to commemorate.

"As far as I remember, the price was around 1 million VND, quite reasonable. I have raised my dog ​​for many years, I love it very much, so I want my pet to be taken care of and cremated properly, partly because I want to protect the environment, not affecting others because of my dog ​​raising", Ms. Ca shared.

Ms. Thuy Khanh (31 years old, living in Ho Chi Minh City) also just spent 1.8 million VND to bury the dog she had raised for 12 years. The old dog was discovered to have cancer in its front legs, had a stroke and was completely paralyzed.

She said that the process from contacting the funeral service until receiving the dog's ashes took only one day. The service company did everything, and Ms. Khanh received the dog's ashes and a certificate of service use.

"The price is very reasonable for the quality of service, the staff is also enthusiastic. The dog is a member of the family so I don't want to throw it away somewhere," Ms. Khanh shared.

In China, pet funeral services are considered a high-income job due to the growing demand from people.

In Beijing, this service costs between 866 and 1,798 yuan (about 2.8-5.9 million VND). In Shanghai, the cost ranges from 664 to 1,900 (about 2.1-6.2 million VND).

Several universities in the country also have funeral-related training majors.

Source link: https://dantri.com.vn/lao-dong-viec-lam/phat-voi-dich-vu-mai-tang-thu-cung-chu-nuoi-san-sang-chi-tien-trieu-20231005130154947.htm