Funeral industry meets growing demand for pet cremation and grief rituals.

Anyone who has experienced the loss of a treasured family pet knows how difficult it can be to say goodbye to these valued members of the family. Considering how important our pets are to us, it’s not surprising that many of us want to find the perfect way to memorialize them.

The market for memorializing pets has become one of the fastest-growing “death care markets” in the United States, according to the Cremation Association of North America.

While experts appear to agree the pet cremation industry in particular is booming, statistics are harder to find.

“There is not a federal regulatory system governing pet cemeteries nationwide, so there is no concrete data regarding the number of pet cremations or internments that take place each year,” said Donna Shugart Bethune, executive administrator of the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories, a not-for-profit that raises awareness and promotes pet cemeteries.

Its membership has grown 30 percent in five years due to the increase in pet crematories opening and the industry getting its first accreditation program, Bethune said.

Read the full story: Funeral industry meets growing demand for pet cremation and grief rituals