Couple's love for animals motivates them to create respectful end-of-life goodbye

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BY MICHELLE PAWELESKI

Chandra Finn remembers the vet’s sterile office, cold tile floor and lack of dog bed—a depressing atmosphere for her and her husband David’s final goodbye to their beloved dog. Their experience worsened as they handed over their family member. “We send them away to get cremated, and we don’t know what happens to them. No one could really answer that question; even the people who were doing the cremation,” Chandra said.

The Sturgis couple has cremated three dogs and are unsure if the ashes they have are truly those of their furry family members. “They take your pet away and you just get a box back,“ Chandra said. “How do I know I am getting my pet back?”

The lives of Chandra and David have always included animals. Both grew up surrounded by a variety of family pets from dogs and cats to snakes and turtles. “Ever since I can remember we had dogs, horses, cats, chickens, goats. My dad had sheep. You really get emotionally invested with them, all of them,” Chandra said. “Dave was the same way. He would always go to the pound and rescue puppies, and he had an aquarium full of snakes and turtles.”

So, a few years ago when the couple was contemplating a business idea that would take them through retirement, they turned to their passion for animals and the problems they experienced with cremation. “All of our animals inspired us to create Resting Pawz. When we were cremating our dogs, we would always make the comment that we wished something was available that was a little better of a place,” Chandra said.

In October, Chandra and David opened Resting Pawz Pet Cremation in Black Hawk where they offer 24/7 pet cremation with a focus on providing a respectful and dignified final goodbye for both pet and owner. “Our goal in starting this business is to provide a peace of mind as the pet owner is going through such a difficult time, and to let people know they have choices,” David said.

The Finns debated the idea of a pet crematorium for years before finally starting the process in October 2020. They had other business ventures, including a concrete company, and dabbled in network marketing, however, none of those felt right and required the couple to continue working their fulltime jobs. Resting Pawz filled a need within the community while providing Chandra and David a business they felt passionate about. “It was a different calling than the rest of the things we did,” Chandra said.

While David still works full time with Murphy Petroleum, Chandra quit her job at Northern Hills Eye Care to focus on the business full time – a move that at first made her nervous. “It was a really great place to work, and it was my comfort zone, and then going into something totally unknown,” she said. “But it was a good decision. I wake up every morning and am just happy to be doing what I am doing.”

The Finns’ mission is to create a funeral home-like atmosphere where they offer a variety of services and options tailored to each pet owners wishes. “We want to bring that level of dignity, respect, caring, and compassion from the minute you walk into the door until you pick up your pet.”

Kincade’s Funeral Chapel in Sturgis mentored the couple through the entire process and still provides guidance. “They have been a great resource and example of professionalism,” Chandra said.

Chandra and David offer a warm, homey farewell room complete with a bed where owners can say a final goodbye and where veterinarians can euthanize a pet offering a neutral, anxiety-free location. “I wanted the farewell room to be comfortable for everyone, not cold and callous,” Chandra said. “I think it is an important part of the grieving process to have this happen and that is why we created the farewell room.” The Finns have also picked up animals from a home or vet’s office.

Chandra spends time with each owner to get to know them and their pet. They offer personalized urns along with other memorabilia, as well as an opportunity to write an obituary that is posted on the Resting Pawz website.

They specialize in private cremations where one pet is in the cremation machine at a time. However they do offer other options including a partition cremation where multiple pets are separated and tagged with the name providing a system of identifying ashes. They also allow pets to be cremated with their favorite toy, blanket, or other special item. While most people take their pets ashes, some choose to leave them with the Finns. When that happens, the couple has two locations where they respectfully spread the ashes, one in the Black Hills and one on private prairie land.

The Finns provide owners with a certificate of cremation with a paw and nose print, a locket of hair, forget-me-not seeds, and a poem picked out specifically for their pet. Chandra said there are sad stories and grief involved with losing a pet, but her hope is that they give owners a sense of peace knowing their beloved family members were properly cared for. With no human children, the Finns consider their pets their children and understand the pain of losing a family member. “I want owners to feel the love I give to their pet, that their pet meant something,” Chandra said adding that she says a prayer over each one before cremation.

Resting Pawz currently serves the Black Hills area, however, Chandra and David’s hope is to provide the service in multiple communities. “When passion and your heart are involved, everything will fall into place,” she said. “I truly believe that and that is exactly what is happening.” ▤