In an unassuming dwelling on Englewood’s predominant thoroughfare, heat water gently circulates over the our bodies of useless pets inside a big metallic field.
For 18 hours, the water and a potassium hydroxide resolution dissolves all of the flesh from the animals, leaving solely bones behind. The course of mimics what occurs as a physique decomposes in nature, simply rushing it up.
The machine is the centerpiece of metro Denver’s first pet aquamation facility, which offers a gentler and extra eco-friendly various to cremation for furry, feathered and fanged pals. Owner John Moody opened Water Bridge Aquamation earlier this 12 months after spending 20 years working within the funeral enterprise and studying extra concerning the environmental harms of ordinary hearth cremation.
“Unconditional love is unconditional love, which individuals have with their pets,” Moody mentioned. “I simply really feel like they deserve that very same stage of aftercare.”
Temperatures for cremations should rise to between 1,800 and a couple of,000 levels. To attain and preserve that temperature, a single cremation makes use of the identical quantity of vitality as 20 gallons of gasoline, in line with the Cremation Association of North America. That’s sufficient fuel for a Subaru Outback to journey about 640 freeway miles — barely greater than the space between Denver and Kansas City.
The course of may also launch poisonous emissions. Teeth fillings develop into mercury vapors. Medical implants develop into vaporized metals.
Traditional burial, too, can have dangerous environmental impacts. Burial makes use of a whole lot of land, and the chemical compounds contained in embalming fluids and caskets ultimately are launched into the soil and water.
Colorado lawmakers lately have expanded entry to options to conventional burial and cremation. In 2021, the legislature handed a regulation permitting for human composting. Just a few firms additionally supply aquamation for people, which was legalized within the state in 2011 when lawmakers broadened the definition of cremation. Colorado doesn’t license pet cremation or aquamation services.
Moody spent greater than a decade working for a big cremation firm that ran its gear for 18 hours a day, he mentioned. His expertise on the firm prompted him to be taught extra concerning the ecological impacts of the cremation business.
“Working in a spot like that, it actually places into perspective how damaging it’s to the environment and our local weather,” he mentioned.
Moody earned his bachelor’s diploma in mortuary science on the University of Minnesota and toured an aquamation facility there as a pupil.
Aquamation was invented within the Eighteen Eighties, however its use has unfold slowly throughout the nation. Minnesota in 2003 was the primary state to legalize utilizing the method on human our bodies, and the observe is now authorized in about half of U.S. states.
But Moody didn’t get an opportunity to make use of aquamation himself till he moved to Denver in 2019 and opened Water Bridge Aquamation. He wished to supply a brand new kind of service and determined to give attention to pets as a substitute of individuals.
Pets are sometimes seen as a part of the household. Moody wished to supply households a protected, calm house to say goodbye. He additionally wished to have the ability to make sure that households obtained stays solely from their pet — one thing that pet crematoriums usually can’t promise.
“I at all times wished to personal my very own funeral dwelling. I simply didn’t know it might be for pets — but it surely’s been an important transition,” he mentioned.
Before utilizing the aquamation machine on shoppers’ pets, Moody and his enterprise associate practiced with roadkill they discovered. They decreased raccoons, prairie canine, snakes and a fox to bones — giving the wild animals a extra dignified disposal than they may anticipate on the facet of the highway.
The value of the service will depend on the scale of the animal and whether or not the household needs the stays returned. Prices for a person aquamation vary from $150 for a small unique pet weighing lower than 2 kilos to $400 for a pet as much as 100 kilos. Each household additionally receives a clay paw print impression, an ink print of their companion’s nostril and a clipping of their fur.
Moody will get artistic for different species apart from the extra widespread cats and canine. He lately gave a consumer an imprint of her pet goldfish’s tail.
Water Bridge has supplied greater than 120 pet aquamations since opening 4 months in the past, Moody mentioned. Once the potassium hydroxide course of ends, Moody permits the bones to dry earlier than crushing them right into a high quality powder to provide to households.
The course of makes use of no fuel, creates far fewer emissions and is far gentler to the pets’ our bodies than flame cremation, Moody mentioned. He makes use of commonplace electrical energy supplied by Xcel and, because the utility transitions to extra renewable vitality sources, so will his vitality use.
“With us there’s no smoke, there’s no emissions, there’s no odor,” he mentioned.
The liquid left over after the aquamation is full is saved in a 2,500-gallon tank behind the constructing. The water is dense with vitamins, and Moody offers it to space farmers to make use of of their plots. Clients may also take a number of the water to make use of in their very own gardens.
“Dead issues are supposed to replenish the earth,” he mentioned. “Dead issues are capable of be repurposed and assist new life, and that’s precisely what we’re doing.”
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