Losing the family pet can be particularly hard on children. This may be the first experience with death and they may not even remember a time when their animal friend was not part of the family. Fish tend to be the “starter pets” for kids. However, that doesn’t diminish the important lessons of responsibility and compassion that are instilled from pet ownership. With a short life span, it’s inevitable that young ones will see that first pet pass away. The first instinct is to flush it down the toilet, which is wrong and harmful for several reasons:  

Some people choose to release their fish into the wild before it passes away. This creates infestations in storm drains, ponds and rivers that kill the ecosystem, creates a competitor and predator to local fish and affect the growth of native plants. Not only is it illegal and unfair to your pet, but the goldfish harm the natural environment as they can grow to the size of dinner plates. Paw Pods has partnered with the Alberta Aquatic Invasive Species program in their new campaign "Don't Let Loose" designed to educate the public on the impacts of intentional release of non-native fish, plants, and invertebrates. Paw Pods’ fish shaped pods can help young ones avoid the trauma of seeing a pet flushed down the toilet. This also may serve as an important teaching tool for parents, death can be very difficult to explain, let alone comprehend for children, make them a part of the process.

Paw Pods also offers other sizes of pods and urns, all bio-degradable, that allow owners the chance to bury their pets at home with a dignified, beautiful memorial. The pods can be decorated with paints, markers or stickers giving children and adults a way to express their grief in an expressive and therapeutic form. A seeded leaf of perennial flowers is included with every pod. Its annual blooms create a living memorial to a treasured friend.

“When I had to make the decision to euthanize my dogs, I wasn’t prepared to deal with how they were delivered,” said Paw Pods founder Ben Riggan. “I had just lost two beloved friends. I wanted to treat their bodies with respect and remember them the way they were during our time together.”

 Paw Pods recognizes that beyond the unconditional, pure loyal love and joy pets give us, their carbon footprint on our planet is next to none, so their afterlife should follow suit. All pods and urns are eco-friendly and made of bamboo powder, rice husk, and corn starch, designed to respectively degrade in 3-5 years after being introduced to the environment. 

Parents experience endless milestones with their children. Some magical and heartwarming, some awful and unavoidable. Teaching young children about death, family member or pet, tops the terrible list, but there are tools and attitudes moms and dads can arm themselves with that can ease the conversation for all. Paw Pods was created to turn the unthinkable, into a learning, coping experience and a way to celebrate the time you did have with your adored pet.

Reassuring to pet owners is the fact that Paw Pods are extremely affordable, ranging in price from $9.99 to $149.99, a fraction of what traditional pet caskets cost. Paw Pods is a company of pet owners and pet lovers dedicated to helping other pet owners navigate the painful experience of losing a treasured animal friend. It was started to help its founder deal with his own grief after losing two of his cherished dogs and being severely disappointed in the way in which they were returned to him.  

New for 2017, Paw Pods is working on a crowdfunding campaign through the RedCrow platform to increase their marketing and advertising, fulfill large orders, and build out a digital platform to connect pet lovers around the world.

You may not need them right now; but they want to be there when you do. Visit http://pawpods.com/ for more information.