It’s different, it’s fresh, it’s exciting. I get to meet people and I get to make them happy.”

Those were the words of the Chris Ingledew, founder and CEO of pet crematorium – Faithful Friends, as he described what led to him to embark on the provision of animal cremation services.

It’s one of the most unique services provided in Jamaica; personalising a service that was once offered by the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In fact, it’s so unique that a few may deem the business venture as extreme — even unprofitable — for Jamaica, which is not considered the most animal-friendly country.

But Ingledew has found a niche market and is assiduously working to warm more hearts with his service.

Known for his love of dogs, Ingledew’s journey began after seeing the cremated remains of a pet dog being delivered in a black plastic bag by an unprofessionally attired individual.

“My jaw dropped because one of my dogs died on the way to Miami and I had him cremated there, and when I got that package and saw how beautiful it was, I knew what the standards could be,” Ingledew told the Jamaica Observer in a round table interview.

In January, roughly a year after putting his business plan together, Ingledew’s business venture finally got a push-start when his post was made redundant upon closure of the Jamaica Beverages company. Today, the CEO provides cremation services to roughly 20 pet owners per month, operating from a farm in Caymanas, St Catherine, at prices ranging between $17,000 and $29,000.

He currently caters to all types of animals — except horses, which may be too large for the cremation machine. Faithful Friends, however, sees most of its revenues from the cremation of dogs and cats.

“The process is done in a professional cremation chamber which holds over 200 pounds of animal. It contains only your pet and is totally gas-fuelled, so you receive nothing other than your pet’s ashes,” he told the Business Observer.

“Because it is a burning machine, the process is done on a farm, away from homes. The process is done in three stages, which includes collecting the animal from either a vet or a home, take it to the site and then you’re left with bones. The bones are then ground down in a grinder to the ashes state, which are then placed in a plastic bag and then in an urn.”

Grinding and packaging is carried out at his Liguanea home in Kingston, according to Ingledew. The packages range from gold to bronze, with the gold package offering a ceramic urn with a nameplate attached, clay mould footprint of the animal, and a cremation certificate.

Overall, the service is usually completed within three to five days.

Ingledew currently employs one part-time individual to assist with the bodies of large pets. As the venture continues to increase in clientele, the CEO is considering a second location – in the western end of the island – to carry out his services. What’s more, he has his eyes on a remembrance park for pets.

“At least six people have asked me about a pet cemetery already. I don’t think I’ll do a cemetery of such, but a remembrance park somewhere in the hills, overlooking the city,” he said.

“Beautiful, quiet area, where you can take a drive out and sit – even bring a headstone inscribed with your loved one’s name – and you can go visit whenever you’re ready. I’m also thinking about having a remembrance day once a year, where all the pet owners can come together and mingle.”

This is not the first business venture that Ingledew has tried. Prior to Faithful Friends, he bought and sold vehicles but later decided to get formal training with a United States-based cremation company, after deciding that pet cremation was his calling.

“To be able to offer that kind service to my clients is exceptional for me. People ask how I do what I do because they know I’m such a dog lover, and I say it’s easy overall because I am providing a service – not only to the pet owner but to the animal – from a place of dignity,” the 50-year-old businessman said.

Aside from surprising clients with a personalised ink pad using the animal’s paws and a lock of the pet’s hair upon receipt of the pet’s ashes, Ingledew has also partnered with a professional grief counsellor to provide animal-loss counselling, free of cost.

“For some people, their pet is like their kid, it’s just like their little boy died. Clients call and thank me for hours because they can look at their baby from the shelf inside, and not outdoors buried in the dirt and rain, especially if the animal was a house pet. It’s those little things is why I do it…pays me more in satisfaction than in dollars.”