Local business helps grieving pet owners with saying goodbye
A family that loves animals and relates to people who lose their furry loved ones channeled their own grief into a business.
Pet Passages, near Fouke, Ark., is owned and operated by the Hawkins Family. Vicki Hawkins is the owner, and her two daughters, Jacci and Jade, help her run the place. They operate a crematorium as well as a funeral home for pets.
“This came from us dealing with our own grief in a passing pet, along with seeing this side of pet care,” Jacci said. “My sister and I lived in Austin and I was working at a vet clinic there. It was at this time I saw this part of animal care.”
The Hawkins sisters moved back to the area in 2017, where their dog, Mow Mouse, declined in health.
“She was an old dog at that point and it was getting to be that time,” Vicki said.
When the time came, they looked for looked for a pet crematorium in the area, like what they had seen in Austin.
They didn’t find one, so that inspired them to open their own.
“Yes, cremation facilities already existed here, but those are for human remains,” Vicki said. “Those facilities don’t handle animal remains.”
After some research, the family decided on a Pet Passages franchise.
“We are a franchise, but Pet Passages is locally owned,” she said. “The owner had come out of the funeral home business and Pet
Passages handled their work with the same level of care and professionalism. We went to a Pet Passages facility in Melbourne, Fla., to train on how to run and operate the business, our first step to opening our own place.”
The process of opening up the local Pet Passages took about three years to complete.
“We opened in October of 2018,” Vicki said. “Our clients are very grateful to us for what we do in helping them deal with the final steps with their animal family members. I find this work very rewarding. In times like these, people are often at their worst. They have lost a family member. To be able to help them through is very gratifying.”
Pet Passages is at 10178 Hwy. 71. For more information, contact them at 870-6532458, texarkana.ar.petpassages.com. Or visit Pet Passages, Texarkana, Ark., on Facebook.