For Jeremy DeWall of Woodland Park, Colorado, his dogs are family. Experiencing the loss of three dogs in just one year has been incredibly painful. Most recently, the unexpected death of his dog Tommy at an emergency vet in late June added to his grief.
“Tommy was the goofball, the gentle giant,” DeWall fondly recalls. Like with his previous dogs, DeWall chose Lasting Paws, a pet crematorium in Colorado Springs, for Tommy’s cremation services. His past experiences with Lasting Paws had been positive, with ashes returned within a week. However, this time was different.
After waiting over two weeks for Tommy’s ashes, DeWall contacted Lasting Paws. He describes the phone interaction with an employee as unhelpful, culminating in a dismissive response about when Tommy’s cremation would occur: “When we get to it.” DeWall, understandably upset, felt this was an unacceptable answer for a grieving pet owner.
Driven by concern, DeWall visited the Lasting Paws facility in person the next day. From outside, he witnessed what he believed were numerous blue and black trash bags within the cremation area. Following discussions with staff, DeWall concluded these bags contained deceased animals awaiting cremation. He expressed his distress, stating, “These are animals who are entrusted to humans throughout their entire life and to be treated by people in this way, in their last time… it’s unacceptable.”
Lasting Paws issued a statement to News 5 addressing these concerns and service delays:
“We take all customer service inquiries very seriously. Working in our business and as pet parents ourselves, we understand a pet’s end-of-life is a very sensitive and emotional time for each family. We make every effort to return pets back to their families as soon as possible. Return times can vary dependent on the complexity of services requested. Unfortunately, as with most businesses throughout the United States, we experienced labor shortages here in Colorado Springs, causing some service delays. Upon learning of the delays in Colorado Springs, we took immediate action to resolve the situation. We have focused on hiring additional staff, and with the installation of our new equipment, we are now operating at normal service levels, meaning the prior delays have been resolved. Moving forward, we will continue to closely monitor operations and we have implemented an improved communication process allowing us to better inform our customers of any potential delays.”
Lasting Paws refuted claims of pets being “piled,” explaining that animals are placed on vertical racks. The company declined to answer specific questions regarding waiting list numbers during the delays or the exact nature of the equipment malfunction.
News 5 was granted a limited tour of Lasting Paws, excluding the cremation area, and filming was prohibited. Subsequently, a local veterinarian who had also voiced concerns about Lasting Paws conducted her own facility tour after the company addressed the issues. She conveyed “comfort that Lasting Paws has deployed the resources to resolve their delays and potential concerns; yet will be monitoring this closely moving forward.”
This situation highlights the sensitive nature of pet memorial services and the importance of clear communication and timely service during the difficult time of pet loss. Lasting Paws Pet Memorial Services assures they have taken steps to rectify recent issues and are committed to providing respectful and efficient pet cremation services to their clients.
