FAQs

Flame Vs Water Cremation

We offer the most respectful, trusted, and complete form of cremation: Traditional Flame Cremation.

Unlike other forms of cremation, we are licensed and regulated by both the Pima County DEQ and the Arizona Veterinary Medical Examining Board. All of our crematory staff are nationally certified to operate our equipment and our facility is  Method 9 compliant as well.

You are always welcome to bring your pet directly to our facility for AfterCare services. We currently do not provide transportation services.
We understand that a death of a pet can happen unexpectedly. The reason we ask you to make an appointment with us is so that we can make sure that our Viewing Room and a Pet AfterCare Specialist are available to give you the care and attention needed during the arrival process. If you arrive at our facility during our regular operating hours without an appointment, you will not be turned away. However, we may not be able to help you immediately but will do our best to help you as soon as we can. In order to best help you, we ask that you arrive at your appointment at your scheduled time. If you are running late or have changed your mind, please let us know so that we can better help both you and others.
We currently accept arrivals, by appointment, from 10am to 5pm daily, holidays and weekends included. If you are unable to bring your pet to us during these hours, we offer after-hours appointments, when possible, for an additional fee.

Arrival appointments are normally scheduled for 30 minutes. However, we will never rush you through the arrival process as saying goodbye in person takes many forms. If you need additional time with your pet to say goodbye, please let us know. If necessary, after completing the arrival process, we can schedule an additional Memorial Viewing on another day for you and your pet.

Upon arrival at The Pet Cemetery of Tucson you will be asked to place your pet in our Viewing Room in one of our arrival containers. If you are unable to carry your pet into our Viewing Room from the parking lot, please let us know so that we can give you additional instructions to our Receiving Area where you do not need to carry your pet. There is paperwork to complete with our Pet AfterCare Specialist regarding the guardianship of your pet, cremation of your pet and which, if any, of our Memorial Products you would like to purchase. Full payment is expected at this time. If choosing a Private Cremation, we will schedule a date and time for you to return for your pet’s cremains. This process typically takes less than 30 minutes, but we will never rush you through this process.

These two terms are used interchangeably. However, we prefer to use the term cremains which is a combination of the words “Cremated” and “Remains”. We feel that the term cremains better explains what you will be receiving rather than the word ashes which is a term used to describe what you would find in a fireplace.

Once your pet arrives with us your pet does not leave our building until you return for your pet’s cremains or we scatter your pet’s cremains in our Garden of Memories located on the cemetery grounds. We do not assign a tracking number to your pet or put a metal disk stamped with a tracking number with your pet because we do not see your pet as just a number but rather as a member of your family. We will only refer to your pet by their name and not as an impersonal tracking number. During our process here, your pet will be always identified with their name. This identification includes a Name Tag with your pet’s description, Cremation Order and an area created specifically for your pet to hold any ink prints, clay prints, fur clippings, jewelry or items to be returned to you. Every step in our process is documented and verified along the way.

When having your pet cremated, the cremains that you will be receiving back will be the pulverized bones of your pet and nothing more. All hair, skin, nails, teeth, fat and muscle will be consumed during the cremation process. The important thing to remember is that the amount and color of cremains you may receive can vary depending on many factors, especially those which affect the density and composition of your pet’s bones. These factors include, but are not limited to, how overweight or underweight your pet may be, your pet’s age, any medications or supplements, any injuries and even how long your pet has been deceased. In general cremains should be anywhere from white to light brown or white to light gray in color and anywhere from a fine powder to a coarse sand in texture.

There is no “standard” amount of cremains you will receive because every pet is unique. We have designed our facility, our staff training, and our proprietary “3 P Process” to guarantee that you are receiving only your pet’s cremains.

We do not provide transportation or cremation services directly for Veterinary Clinics or Mobile Veterinarians. We have chosen to provide services directly to you so that we can ensure that all of your AfterCare requests are honored in a kind and respectful way. You always have the right to not use the cremation service offered by your veterinarian and to bring your beloved pet directly to The Pet Cemetery of Tucson.

We do not accept any Pet Insurance or Care Credit and we require full payment for all services at the time of arrival.