WINLOCK — The human species has a long history of extravagance when it comes to dealing with animals.
Ancient Egyptians mummified cats, alligators and other creatures. Cowboy star Roy Rogers had his horse, Trigger, stuffed and mounted.
Now, Lewis County has a pet cemetery.
And a pet wedding chapel.
And pet divorce services.
And a pet party house.
And a place for a pet psychologist to practice.
The new business, Pet Heaven, deals with both the sorrows and the joys of pet ownership. In addition to the pet cemetery, pet weddings and parties are also available. The business also has access to a pet psychologist.
"Basically, we marry and bury pets," said Larry Davis, who, along with wife, Linda, recently opened Pet Heaven at their home in rural Winlock.
This may seem like an unusual business move, but it is no surprise to anyone who knows the Davises. The couple are avid animal lovers who have rescued nine stray dogs.
They also gained much media attention four years ago when they spared the life of their ostrich, King Tut, after he attacked and killed Linda's father.
"It wasn't King Tut's fault," said Larry. "He was just defending his territory. Linda's father knew not to enter the pen, so we believe he had had a stroke or something that made him delusional enough to put himself in that kind of danger."
King Tut recently died — find out more about that later — and so his former home, a renovated greenhouse, has been converted into a small chapel.
"Someday I hope to build a new chapel," said Larry.
The couple is now in the process of sprucing up their 5-acre field, which they hope will someday resemble a beautiful cemetery with a lawn as green and smooth as a golf course.
"I'm retired, and I can't just sit around on my duff," said Larry, a retired millwright and welder. "We like animals and thought Lewis County could use a business like this, so that is how we have decided to spend our retirement."
So far, the venture is proving to be a busy one. Pet Heaven has just opened and has not yet hosted a wedding or funeral, though informational fliers have been released, and the calls have been coming in "like crazy," said Larry.
Calls have primarily been funeral inquiries, prompting Larry to work into the wee hours of the morning building doggy and kitty caskets. Caskets can be custom made, and may be as simple as pine boxes, or elaborate and lined with silk.
"We will bury gerbils, goats, birds, just about any sort of creature people have decided to love and bring into their family," he said.
The Davises will not, however, bury a horse.
"Nope, they are just way too big," he said. "We can have a memorial service for a horse, and we can bury the ashes. We charge $1.50 a pound to cremate a horse."
Cremation services are not handled by Pet Heaven, but are instead contracted out to Petland in Aberdeen, another pet cemetery.
"Petland has been so helpful and supportive," said Larry. "Their cemetery is getting quite full, so they were glad to see us open."
The Davis' would not comment about prices, but they did say Pet Heaven can accommodate a variety of family budgets.
The cost of burying a pet at the cemetery and having a full-service funeral is "about $400 cheaper than burials in other pet cemeteries we know of," said Larry.
Other pet cemeteries may be found in areas surrounding Seattle, Portland, Tacoma and Aberdeen.
"Losing a pet can be a very tragic, emotionally devastating experience, so there are more and more pet cemeteries out there," said Linda. "The idea of formally burying a pet in a cemetery is becoming more accepted."
Part of the reasoning behind the growing popularity of pet cemeteries is that more and more people are moving into cities, which often do not allow pet burial. Apartment dwellers are also limited in what they can do with the body of a pet.
"Also, people move more often these days, so burying an animal in a cemetery means they always have a place to go to to visit their pet, no matter where they live at the moment," said Linda.
But while pet funerals and burials are gaining acceptance, pet weddings "are kind of a new thing for people in this area," said Larry. "But they are very big in California."
Linda, as a matter of fact, once worked in the pet wedding industry in California in the early 1990s.
"For many people, there was no limit to what they spent on their pet's wedding," she said. "It was a big event in their lives."
Many dog breeders will not breed their dogs until they are married, she maintained.
"And if the dog won't breed with its spouse, they will get a divorce," said Linda.
Of course, Pet Heaven also offers divorce services.
"Oh yes, we try to do for animals what we would do for humans," said Linda. "We go all out. Funerals and weddings can come complete with flowers and live music. Whatever people want."
"When we marry pets, we try to be so realistic that we even try to get the dog to say 'woof' during the 'I do' part of the ceremony," said Linda.
Getting a cat to vocalize some sort of "I do" is less easy, but will be attempted, she added.
"We will hold marriage ceremonies for cats, dogs, almost any sort of creature, but probably not snakes," said Linda.
Snakes are a harder to control, she conceded, and are difficult to fit in a dress or tuxedo.
Regarding wedding attire, the Davises have a variety of veils and dresses, and are awaiting a shipment of tuxedos.
"They are the most beautiful dresses, and dogs really don't mind wearing them," Linda said. "It's fun for them; everybody likes to get dressed up now and then."
The dresses and tuxedos may also be used for parties.
"We don't just do weddings. We will host other celebrations — dog parties, cat parties, whatever people want," said Larry.
Considering how the Davises are open to anything, one may wonder if they buried King Tut in the new Pet Heaven cemetery.
"No, King Tut did not die naturally; he was butchered," said Larry, adding that the family eventually concluded the ostrich was too dangerous.
Even in death, though, the big bird served a purpose.
"He made mighty tasty jerky," Larry said.
For information about Pet Heaven, telephone 785-4667.
Amy Emerson covers energy, business and economic issues for The Chronicle. She may be reached by e-mail at aemerson@chronline.com, or by telephoning 807-8231.
