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Pet Reefs: An Eco-Conscious Way To Honor Your Furry Companions

Photo Courtesy PR Newswire

Losing a pet is incredibly difficult. Having recently lost my third Chocolate Labrador in my lifetime to the good old age of 14, my parents had him cremated and memorialized with a plaster paw print and river stone. Everyone has different ways to honor their furry companion. Pet Reefs from Memorial Reefs International is offering pet owners an eco-friendly option. 

Pet Reefs creates artificial reef structures using the cremated remains of departed pets. The company works with local veterinarians or with Gateway, a pet aftercare firm that helps with grief support and pet memorials. 

Owners can choose a structure style with their pet’s ashes used to make long-lasting concrete. The monument is sent to the bottom of coastal areas, where it will attract coral polyps, serving as a hiding place for various marine animals. Pet Reefs supplies photos and documents about the placement of the memorial. 

Photo Courtesy Andrew S

The first-ever Pet Reef deployment was launched off the coast of Sarasota, Florida, in January 2023 for several pets, including a horse. The company markets the structures as a way for pets to give back to the planet in their afterlife. Coral reefs have been stricken with problems due to ocean acidification and warming water temperatures. Scientists have stressed that artificial reefs and seawalls can help slow and reverse these problems. 

Coral reefs are home to fish, crustaceans, octopi, mussels, clams, and anemones. According to the UN Environment Programme, coral serves as a buffer for waves, slowing erosion of coastlines and reducing flooding. Fish also get most of their food from reefs. Without them, the world’s fish supply would be severely impacted. Coral also filters the ocean of particulate matter. 

The concrete in Pet Reefs has a pH balance similar to that of the ocean, which is why the company says the Reef Balls — the official structure name — will last more than 500 years.

The goal is to drop the Balls in habitats with notable weaknesses caused by climate change or human activity. 

Photo Courtesy PR Newswire

A customer told First Coast News in Jacksonville that using Pet Reefs was the perfect way to honor her Chow Hound, who passed away in 2022. She drove more than four hours to get on a boat and drop her dog’s Reef Ball off the coast of Sarasota. It was one of 25 memorials dropped. 

“They’re going to stay there pretty much forever and become part of the ocean floor. So, compared to just like scattering ashes, those are gone,” Laura Boehm, Memorial Reefs co-founder, told First Coast News. “This is a permanent resting place for someone or someone’s pet.” 

Customers will get a GPS location if they want to visit their pet. A bronze plaque is placed on every Reef Ball. Knowing their loved ones are helping a greater cause gives customers peace of mind. 
Humans also have green burial methods. Human composting involves burying a body to break it down by microbes into soil. The body takes up to four to six weeks of composting before it becomes a cubic yard of soil. Eternal Reefs, another Florida-area memorial service, uses pet and human remains to create its own reef balls.

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