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Cremation Services
Your pet is never just a number at Cherished Like Family.
Each cherished companion is diligently tracked through our process by name, using the same record card that is completed at the time I take your pet into my care. It notes your name, your pet's name, their species, and color. That card stays with the animal until I return them to you.
Upon the return of your cherished companion, the record card is archived for three years.
A unique identifier is also assigned to each pet as a secondary safeguard mechanism. It is included on the cremation certificate.
Private Cremation
In the private service, your cherished pet is the only animal in the cremation unit for the duration of the process. Your pet's ashes will be returned to you in a wooden urn with a personalized brass name plate and certificate of cremation. We also include a paw impression at no additional charge.
Prices start at $170. Pickup service is available, a fee may apply.
Semi-Private Cremation
The semi-private service (also called partitioned, segregated, or individual by other cremation providers) offers a more budget-friendly option in which you still receive your cherished companion's cremains. Your pet will be carefully placed in one of our cremation units with their precise position recorded and marked. They will be cremated at the same time as other cherished pets, but each animal is kept separate from the others by physical barriers or gaps in the case of the larger animals. Your pet's remains will be returned to you in a wooden urn with a personalized brass nameplate and certificate of cremation.
Prices start at $55 for pocket pets. Pickup service is available, a fee may apply.
From hamsters to horses
We are able to provide cremation services for the smallest of pocket pets to horses. Prices depend on the weight and stature of the animals. Please call or text 217-949-2402 to discuss your specific situation. We have our own transportation service vehicle, no need to contract with anyone else. There is a transportation fee based on round-trip mileage. You may bring your larger animal to me if you prefer.
General cremation prices with no remains returned start at $600 for horses up to 1200 pounds, $55 for pocket pets (remains returned), $300 for mini-horses and alpacas.
Communal/Group Cremation
This is a final disposition service for your pet. No remains are available for return as there is no effort made to partition one pet from the next. Prices start at $20 for animals up to 30 pounds. Horses start at $600 plus transportation. Pick-up fees apply for companion animals, starting at $10.
For horse cremation, please call for retrieval information.
Tricia Braid is a life-long resident of McLean County, IL, growing up on her family's farm in Funks Grove. She's always had an affinity for animals, be they livestock like cows, pigs, chickens, ducks and goats or companion animals including dogs, cats, horses, and ponies. She was riding horses with her father before she could walk and spent her childhood surrounded by dogs and cats in her home and on the farm. Tricia has four two-legged children ranging in age from 25 to 6 and currently shares her home with four fur-kids: an AussieDoodle named Fiona, pound-puppy that we learned is a flat-coated Labradoodle named Prada, a tuxedo-kitty named Calypso that came from a barn cat litter, and a feisty Bengal cat named Willow. We also have a leopard gecko named Spot.