Kristen and Doug Overdorf, owners of Heavenly Paws Pet Funeral Home & Crematory, are proud of the personalized service they provide for their clients' pets. The couple started their Williamsport business in January 2024. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Heavenly Paws Pet Funeral Home and Crematory is bringing closure to mourning pet owners.

Heavenly Paws, 316 Rose St., Suite 2, Williamsport, is a family-owned and operated business run by Doug and Kristen Overdorf. With special care for every lost pet, Heavenly Paws opened in January to meet all of the emotional needs of the owners and families.

“The idea of Heavenly Paws began after having the unfortunate experience of dealing with the pain and sorrow of losing our beloved cat, Tigger, in 2017,” Kristen said.

The couple wanted to offer a comforting experience to those grieving the loss of precious friends.

“Based on our own experiences with loss combined with our experience of working in the human death care industry, we realized that the choices available after an animal dies are nothing like those offered for people. Animal bodies are ‘disposed of,’ not honored,” she continued. “But many pet parents want to see their animal’s body treated with respect.”

“Each pet family we have served, there has been a connection,” she added. “They share stories with us of the first day they brought their pet home to the last few days of their life and all the memories in between. We feel bonded to their beloved pet that was loved and lost.”

The Overdorfs have a history of smoothing the transition between living and lost, with both being certified for handling remains. Kristen is a licensed (human) funeral director as well as a pet funeral director who is certified in animal bereavement from the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories. Doug also is a certified pet crematory operator.

Heavenly Paws provides various options for pet owners, accepting any animal for cremation up to 500 pounds. The final cost of the service is based on the weight of the pet.

They also carry an array of keepsakes for their clients to remember their pets by, from urns to paw prints to jewelry.

“We offer a wide variety of urns, from traditional urns such as ceramic, brass and wood to biodegradable urns that are eco-friendly to artistic urns, as well as keepsake urns that are designed to hold a small portion of the cremated remains,” Kristen said. “Several of the urns we offer allow for adding a personal touch through engraving the pet’s name, date of birth and passing, or a personal message.”

“In addition to urns and dignified pet cremation services,” she said, “we offer special tribute products such as paw impressions, fur clippings, nose and paw print jewelry and other grief support material.”

Heavenly Paws does not offer burial services for pets on their property, though an upcoming pet cemetery to Williamsport may change the type of services they offer. Burials done on the owner’s private property are possible, but Kristen suggests, “Some things to consider would be legality, safety, other animals, your family’s future plans and climate.”

That being said, they currently offer three main cremation options, as Kristen explained.

“We offer a true private cremation, which is when your pet, and only your pet, is in the cremation unit. With the use of our 100% guaranteed ID pet tracking system, we guarantee you will receive your pet’s cremated remains only in a timely manner.

“We also offer a semi-private cremation option, which is when your pet is placed in the cremation unit along with other pets, however, our unique stainless-steel dividers ensure that your pet is completely segregated from other pets. Pets are never touching and, with our 100% guaranteed ID pet tracking system, we guarantee you will receive your pet’s cremated remains only.

“Our third cremation option is a communal cremation, which is the process of cremating multiple pets together without any form of separation. The commingled cremated remains are not returned to the pet owner and will be scattered.”

Visit HeavenlyPawsPA.com for more information.