Jade Hawkins left more than her childhood home behind when her family moved from Foreman, Ark., several years ago.
"We buried two of our dogs there. We lived on 100 acres, so we could bury them anywhere we pleased, but when we moved, we had to leave them behind," Jade said.
Although she will always have the memories of the blue heelers-Crooktail and her beloved Sandy-Jade now wishes she had a more tangible reminder of the dogs, such as an urn with their ashes. That way, when she moves again, she can bring her companions along.
Jade and her mother, Vicki Hawkins, have approached Texarkana, Ark., to see what is needed to open a pet crematory and cemetery and a place to have memorial services and purchase personalized memorabilia to honor pets.
Discussions are under way with the city's Planning Commission who work out zoning details for this proposal and then send it for final approval by the city's Board of Directors.
"Austin is definitely the most pet-friendly place I have ever been," Jade said. "They take it to a whole new level than other people would, before death and after death, and I love that."
Jade's mother now has a dog named Mow Mouse who became ill with liver failure more than a year and a half ago. Mow Mouse is a Havanese who looks like a mixture of a Yorkshire terrier and a Shih Tzu.
"She is truly my baby. This dog grew up with my (youngest) child, Jacci, who is now 18 years old," Vicki said. "If that dog could tell the secrets that child told, it is just cherished memories."
Vicki said she first noticed something was wrong with Mow Mouse when the dog started leaning its head against the wall or furniture. She said she has seen this referred to on Facebook as head posting, and although it may seem amusing at first because they look tired or sleepy, it may actually signal liver dysfunction and high ammonia levels.
"She just started walking in circles. It was horrible, horrible, horrible," Vicki said.
Vicki took Mow Mouse to Wisdom Animal Clinic and, after medication, Mow Mouse has done better than veterinarians predicted. Despite her having good days, the severity of the illness initiated a conversation no one ever wants to have about their pet.
Because Jade was exposed to the myriad options offered in Austin, she asked her mom about final plans.
"Mow Mouse is in liver failure, so it is getting close to her time, and my daughter kept asking, 'What are we going to do, Mom? What are you going to do? You live in the city, and what are you going to do with your dog? You have to have her ashes or something with you.'
"Jade is the one who came up with the idea. It is just heartbreaking and that is the way my daughter feels about the baby she left. I totally get it. I understand. Someone else lives at our (former) house now, so you can't say can 'We go out there,' or 'Is the cross still there?' You can't do that."
There are no zoning regulations on the books regarding pet cemeteries or crematories in Texarkana, Ark., so Mary Beck, city planner, said she is researching how other cities handle the process. At last month's regular meeting, the city Planning and Zoning Commission began examining what type of of area would be suitable for such businesses.
Beck said crematories are typically in industrial zones. And just like crematories for people, guidelines are in place from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA.
"With the pet cemetery, we are going to treat it just like the human cemeteries, which can be in any zone with a conditional use permit," Beck said. "We will restrict cemeteries in the Crossroads Business Park, because that park was formed with the agreement that it would be retail, and we couldn't really see it as a suitable place. We will take that off the table, and just like any other business, we will take it on a case-by-case basis."
The planning commission will have a public hearing about pet cemeteries and crematories at its next meeting March 8 inside the boardroom at City Hall. Beck said the commission would like to move through their part of this process as quickly as possible to help Jade and Vicki get started on their business plans. Jade said she is working with a franchise to make the business a reality.
There are no pet crematories on either side of Texarkana. Shirley Jaster, Texas-side assistant city manager, said the city only has written guidelines regarding human cemeteries and no ordinances are in place for pet crematories.
Dr. Joanna Pridgen, a veterinarian at Wisdom Animal Clinic, said when clients would like to have their pets cremated, the pets are picked up from Wisdom by Best Friends, a pet crematory in Ruston, La. After cremation, a pet is returned to Wisdom in an urn the family picked out in advance.
Pridgen said the clinic has also used crematory services at Cass County Veterinary Clinic in Atlanta, Texas, and the Moore Animal Clinic in New Boston, Texas.
Pet cremations have been increasing in popularity for about the past five years, she said. This can be attributed to the size of the animal that needs to be buried-large dogs can weigh up to 200 pounds-or more often, because people want to have their pets with them wherever they go.
"You never used to hear about people cremating their dogs, but you are seeing it more and more. It may be a more expensive option than burying them, but it may be more practical for them. Some people are moving, and they can't bury them, and some people are living in apartments and can't bury them."
Boots Thomas, an Arkansas-side Planning and Zoning commissioner, said he thinks the business Jade and Vicki want to open will be well-received by the community.
"It is a service that people want, and many people are already using this service, and we don't provide it, so we need to see if the city would like to have an option for the people," Thomas said. "They are going to offer mementos as well as the urns, and it really will help with closure for a lot of people to have in that process. That way, they just don't have to take them out and bury them in the backyard."
Vicki said their vision for the business is not only to allow provide pet cremation there, but also to have a memorial service on site. This would even include viewing rooms with space for about 10 to 20 people.
"It is your choice, to view or not to view, whatever it takes to help you get closure, and some people may not want to view. I don't know at this point what I will do," Vicki said. "There will be a big glass window and a couch and chair, more like a sitting room."
And this part of the business is where Vicki's other daughter, Jacci, may be a part of the process. Jacci, enrolled in the Paul Mitchell school of cosmetology in Austin, is taking a course about applying makeup and the class includes instruction for applying makeup in cases of trauma.
"If there is a trauma or something to the baby, then she can work with the makeup and cover up wounds," Vicki said. "That would be very helpful if a dog was run over, or if its leg was messed up or something. If they wanted a viewing, she could help."
Vicki said she is looking forward to her daughter's business venture so that as Texarkana becomes larger and modernized, it can offer the same services found in larger cities such as Dallas and Austin.
"The bigger cities have them, and people can go. They have burials. They have caskets. They have viewings. It is just like your baby. It is your kid. It is your family member. It is a part of your family, and you should treat them like they are your family," Vicki said. "We love animals, and that is just the way the kids were raised."