A Final Act of Love

Hill brings pet cremation services closer to home

For many families, losing a pet means saying goodbye to a member of the family. Until now, that goodbye could also mean sending a beloved pet hours away from Ohio County for cremation.

Kendra Hill wants to change that.

Hill, a licensed funeral director and embalmer at Bevil Brothers Funeral Home, has opened Hill Pet Cremation in Beaver Dam, bringing a service she has dreamed about for three years closer to home.

“I've always been in the funeral industry,” Hill said. “Helping families on that side always made me want to help our pet families because there's nowhere in town or around that does pet cremations.”

Hill said area pets have often been transported to Louisville or Nashville for cremation. Depending on pickup schedules, families could wait several days or longer for their pet's ashes to be returned. As a dog owner herself, Hill understood why that could be difficult. “I have a dog of my own, and I just knew having to send him off somewhere, I was not comfortable with that,” she said.

That concern became the foundation for a business centered on two things Hill already considers essential in her work with grieving families — care and dignity. Families can bring their pet directly to Hill Pet Cremation or arrange for Hill to pick up from a home or veterinary office. She is striving for a next-day turnaround when possible and can accommodate animals weighing up to approximately 400 pounds.

Hill said she approaches the pets entrusted to her much as she does the families she serves through her work at the funeral home. “Care and dignity,” Hill said. “Just like it's my family. Like I would with a loved one at a funeral home.”

Families have the option of private or communal cremation. With private cremation, the pet is cremated individually and the ashes are returned to the family. Urns, paw prints and other keepsakes are also available.

Hill has something special planned for pets whose families choose communal cremation. Their remains will be scattered in a memorial garden, with a painted rock bearing each pet's name placed there. Families will be able to visit the garden as a place to remember their pet.

For Hill, keeping the service local also gives families the comfort of knowing who has their pet in their care. “My dad grew up around here, my grandparents are from here,” she said. “I just feel like if people know who's taking care of your animal, they tend to trust you more and feel comfortable with you taking their animal.”

Although Hill Pet Cremation is new to Ohio County, word of the service is already traveling. Hill said she has served families from Madisonville, Bowling Green, Scottsville and Owensboro and will accept pets from outside the county.

The crematory is located in its own building directly behind Bevil Brothers Funeral Home. Families visiting Hill Pet Cremation can drive around the funeral home to the crematory rather than entering through the funeral home.

Hill is already accepting pets while finishing touches are being made to the building. She plans to hold a grand opening once it is complete. No appointment is required, and Hill answers the crematory's phone 24 hours a day.

There may also be more to come. Hill said pet funeral and memorial services are something she has considered offering in the future. Families can already have an obituary for their pet posted online.

Jennifer Hamilton, Level II Apprentice at Bevil Bros. Funeral Home, said those close to Hill are proud of what she has accomplished.

“We are just so very proud of her,” Hamilton said. “She is 21 years old, about to be 22, and she's already a licensed funeral director and embalmer and has opened her crematory for pets, which is magnificent.”

For Hill, the idea behind Hill Pet Cremation remains simple — giving families a local place to turn when it's time to say goodbye.

Hill Pet Cremation is located behind Bevil Brothers Funeral Home in Beaver Dam. For more information, call 270-775-8446 or email hillpetcremation@gmail.com.