Through the experience of losing her own dog, Louie, she knew that professional, personalized care fulfilled a need that many families have to treat their pet with respect at the end of its life.

To assist families who are struggling with the grief caused by the loss of a pet, Chebatoris will be sponsoring the annual Healing Hearts for Pet Lovers on Sunday, Feb. 7.

Featured speakers are Elizabeth Babcock, MSW, LCSW, a psychotherapist with an established private practice who has both professional and personal experience with pet loss. Participants will receive information to help navigate grief.

Barbara Golden, a pet behaviorist, will present thoughts about the gifts received from sharing lives with pets.

Change of career

"If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be operating a pet cremation service, I would have never believed you," Chebatoris said. "I've always been allergic to dogs and cats and birds."

A CPA for over twenty years, she was "unfulfilled" and hoping to move into a career where she could have a positive and immediate impact on the lives of others. A chance conversation between soccer moms was the spark that started the creation of this business.

Seven years ago in the Pittsburgh area, there was a transportation service that facilitated cremations for families. That business was for sale and after conversations and tag alongs with the owner, Chebatoris agreed to buy that business. She drew up a business plan that expanded the existing business, giving a variety of choices to families who need to make cremation arrangements for their pet.

The hallmark of Chebatoris' service is her focus on providing all of the care herself. She can transport your pet, cremate your pet and return your pet to you without ever losing custody of your pet.

Where to start?

"Families most often don't even know where to start when they experience the loss of their pet," she says. Chebatoris helps families think through all the options they have, from transporting their pet's body to memorializing the life they have been privileged to share with their pet.

One aspect of the service Chebatoris provides is the fabric bag that is returned to the family containing the pet's cremains. Most families choose a color that has some meaning to them, like the color of their pet's collar or a color similar to a favorite blanket. Always willing to provide a highly personalized service, Chebatoris frequently is asked by families to make the fabric bag from an actual blanket, cloth coat or neckerchief that was worn or used by the pet.

"When I place the pet's cremated remains into the hands of the family member, they are receiving a soft, warm container that frequently is held to the face and kissed."

Over the years, families have chosen many different ways to place their pet to rest. From sprinkling cremains at Rehoboth Beach to placing the cremains in a beer stein, the ways that families seek to honor the memory of their pet is limitless. Chebatoris has even taken the soft bag of cremains and laid the pet into the casket of the recently departed owner.