Stonegate Pet Cremations Ltd co-director Brendan Derbyshire said he and his fiancée and veterinarian Cally Hammond-Tooke had been looking at opening a pet crematorium for the past six to seven years, and had recently secured a lease at Invermay where they would operate.
Mr Derbyshire, originally from Melbourne, said when they moved to Dunedin about two years ago they noticed a gap in the market.
"There wasn't a lot of services around, and we thought we'd be able to add to the community and provide a good service for the residents of Dunedin and surroundings and give them what they need.
"A lot of the [pets] from Queenstown go to Christchurch, so we're looking to keep it a bit more local.
"We'll do personal pickups with our own utes, so animals won't have to be couriered anywhere. It will all be hands-on by us."
As well as picking up deceased pets directly from customers’ homes, the Mosgiel-based business planned to offer its services through veterinary clinics as well.
Mr Derbyshire said they had been in touch with every vet in Dunedin and all but a couple, who were already using other services, were on board.
Others in Lawrence and Balclutha had also expressed interest, he said.
They began collecting animals from vet clinics this month and planned to expand through to Wānaka and Queenstown.
"We want to be able to reach as far as we can to make sure people get that good pet aftercare."
Their keepsakes used pine, macrocarpa or rimu grown in the South Island and were made locally by small New Zealand businesses.
The old cremators were about 50 years old so they were replacing them with new ones that used less fuel and produced fewer carbon emissions, Mr Derbyshire said.
Ms Hammond-Tooke’s experience as a vet meant she knew the grief people could go through when mourning a dead pet, and her involvement in the business was a "nice touch", he said.
"It's just a little bit more intimate and a little bit more personal and you know where your animal is and that it's in good hands."
