March 6, 2017

Meet Lizzy Rivera of Paws Pet Cremation in Boyle Heights

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizzy Rivera.

Lizzy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Paws Pet Cremation was created along with my two partners Nicole and Rebecca.
Nicole and Rebecca experienced a really painful loss with their pet Joey that ultimately led them to realize that there was a lack of decent options for pet aftercare in Los Angeles. Our pets are everything to us and we only want the best for them but this shouldn’t mean that it has to be so expensive either.

We began to do our research about pet aftercare. We visited mortuaries all over the city of all religions and even attended the annual convention for Pet Loss Professionals Alliance. We found suppliers and our location to make our vision a reality. Almost two years later, we are offering the best private cremation experience and helping pet families cope with pet loss. We have built the most beautiful and peaceful facility in Los Angeles in a place most would not expect. We hold an impeccable reputation with our service and received amazing feedback and recommendations from our pet families. We only hope to improve everyday.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was far from a smooth road.
To begin, it took us a year to find a location. While researching we discovered that all pet crematories were either far from Los Angeles or “crematories” were outsourcing their cremations outside of Los Angeles. First of all, it was important to us to have full control of cremations for quality purposes and secondly, to be located in Los Angeles. Problem was, that Los Angeles is comprised of a microscopic scale of options with proper zoning permissions for cremations. It was the slimmest of pickings but we finally found our diamond in a rough.

We immediately began gutting and remodeling our facility with our amazing contractor Dean and his team. Of course like any renovation project we encountered so many problems that made costs quickly add up to a point where we had to pause all construction due to a lack of funds. Although we managed to get the ball rolling again we then faced the most devastating and unexpected loss of our contractor Dean due to cancer. Of course we had to pause all construction for bereavement purposes. Dean was a huge loss for everyone that knew him. He was passionate about what he did and he never gave up on us and our dream of Paws Pet Cremation.

After some time we rallied a few of his team to finish what Dean started but the hardest part was passing inspections without him. They gave us the hardest time, which caused drastic delays to a point where we had to turn away grieving pet families who would show up at our doorstep. Heartbreaking!

5 years and many sleepless nights later, Paws Pet Cremation was officially ready to open its doors to all pet parents. Don’t get me wrong. It is still a struggle everyday and although I don’t knock all that we have accomplished in such a short time I don’t forget that we are still so young in our company. We really want our services to be offered in all animal hospitals but trying to get vets to give us the time of day has been our current battle. How do we make them see there is a new way, not the only way but we definitely offer a unique experience. Most importantly, we truly care about what we do and how our pet parents feel.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Paws Pet Cremation – what should we know?
Paws Pet Cremation specializes in private pet cremation. A private or individual pet cremation means that only one animal is placed in the cremation chamber at a time to avoid commingling of other pet cremains. In other words, only one pet is cremated at a time. However, we are more than just a pet crematory. We are a pet loss center or pet funeral home. We help our families from the time they call us to the time they take their pets cremated remains home. We offer a 24hr emergency help line. We offer pick up service and come to your home or pet clinic to transport pets to our facility. Pet parents are also welcomed to bring their pets to our facility. We accept all our walk-ins and offer memorial services, witnessing of cremation, urns and keepsakes, grief counseling..etc.
We are most proud of what sets us apart. To start, we are the only fully operating pet crematory in Los Angeles. We open everyday. We have an open door policy to promote transparency within our company to give pet families peace of mind. Most importantly, we provide the most unique experience in pet loss. Most families are so surprised by how clean and inviting our facility is. It is located in a rough and industrial location but it is designed every detail with pet families in mind. We decided we didn’t want a facility that made you feel like sad or that reminded you that you were in an old funeral parlor. Our facility is modern & trendy yet warm and soothing. We wanted families to feel at peace when they walked into our doors.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Compassion. Compassion is the most important characteristic to possess in our industry, not everyone is an animal lover and not everyone can understand pet loss and the pain it brings. When I hire staff that is what I most look for, is people who can demonstrate compassion for others in need and in pain. Whether it be for four-legged or two-legged beings.

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