FAREWELL TO MAN’S BEST FRIEND
An enterprising dog lover finds her calling in funeral service for pets, writes
An enterprising dog lover finds her calling in pet funeral service.
Some people often treat their pets as a beloved family member. And when their pets die, they are given a farewell that befits a loved one. Chomsamon Kanchanapat, 49, also known by her nickname Bua, remembers the grief she felt when she lost her favourite dog, a female spitz named Pui, some years ago.
Using the carpentry skills learned from her father, she made Pui a small coffin to be buried in.
Time went by and she achieved a bachelor’s degree from the faculty of humanities at Ramkamhaeng University before getting a job in a purchasing unit of a big convenience store chain. In her free time, she continued helping her father in his carpentry and furnituremaking business as well as learning the art of moulding.
“I had a degree and a job but I really didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do to earn a living,” Bua says.
This was to change when she met a good friend who had a dog-grooming business. It reminded her of little Pui and made her think again of her career path.
Bua finally figured out that what she loves most are dogs and art. It was the day she realised that the two things could help her create a new business that provides her with a living today — providing coffins and funeral services for dogs and other pets.
She researched the problems that dog lovers normally face when their pets die before she started her business of selling coffins for dogs in 2005.
“I just thought of the common feelings that dog lovers have when they lose their pets. It would be what I felt when I lost my dog and tried my best to give her a good farewell,” Bua says.
She started her business by posting her products and services on the wellknown Pantip.com website, where she got a very good response.
“Many people asked about my products. They bought my handmade coffins for their dogs and asked me whether I had a dog funeral service. That inspired me to expand my business,” she says.
Providing cremations and religious ceremonies for dogs is a sensitive issue, she soon realised.
“I need to be very careful because people’s feelings towards their religions are sensitive. For instance, Buddhist customers are different from Christian customers and they need different ceremonies,” Bua says.
“I need to adjust the style of my products so that they are not the same style seen at human funeral ceremonies. I even don’t call them coffins as I don’t want to make people think that I am mimicking a sacred religious ceremony.”
Her business making “dog boxes” ran quite well for a couple of years before competitors emerged, but Bua found a way to survive by differentiating her products from others.
After absorbing knowledge about carpentry for years from her family’s furniture business, she tried to make her dog boxes in different styles.
“I don’t want to make them look like a coffin as it would make the clients feel sad about the departure of their pets,” she says.
She makes several styles of dog box and paints them in colourful designs. They come in different shapes and sizes and even in a round shape to be more interesting for buyers.
Boxes are made not only for dogs but also for pets including cats, rabbits and even pythons.
Prices depend on the size and design, ranging from only a few hundred baht to up to 5,000 baht.
Bua also provides boxes for keeping pets’ remains, which is popular with Buddhists.
She also has a made-to-order service for those who follow other religions and want a unique style of box.
She has expanded her business by adding marketing channels via pet clinics and pet hospitals, mostly in Bangkok.
To create more market share, Bua has created website Dogdiddoc.com, where clients can see all her products and services and get contact details.
She says the website has helped her to cut the burdensome costs of having a large showroom for her products.
After running her business for 10 years, she is in a position where it generates enough money for her to earn a living from the business alone.
“So long as people give such love to their pets, I think my business can go on,” Bua says.
I even don’t call them coffins as I don’t want to make people think that I am mimicking a sacred religious ceremony.