“In 2008 we opened the Phönix animal crematorium. At that time it was the fourth in all of Germany. Today there are 26, ”says the 65-year-old. The trained master tailor and graduate in business administration already had experience with cremation – albeit from people. From 2002 to 2008 he headed the crematorium in Diemelstadt.
Today he takes care of those left behind who mourn a beloved animal: “It’s a great job. The animal is a family member. ”The people could see on site that there is a dignified farewell for their companion.
“The smallest body that we have cremated individually so far was a gerbil,” reports the managing director. The largest single cremation was a tiger weighing 180 kilograms. “We have already cremated three circus tigers in total,” says the Peckelsheimer. The cremation of such species-protected animals always means a great deal of bureaucratic effort. “Every district through which the dead animal is transported must issue a transport permit,” he explains.
20 animals are cremated per day
Around 20 animals – from mice to cats to dogs – are cremated in Peckelsheim every day, individually or as a collective cremation. The stove hidden behind the driveway is huge. It weighs 40 tons and runs on natural gas. The inside is more than 800 degrees. “In the end, only the mineral components of the body remain,” explains the boss. The cremation process is strictly monitored – as is the filter system.
The technology behind the crematorium is one side of the work. The care of the owners who mourn their animals is the other. “It’s often very sad. That is why it is good if people inform themselves before their animal dies. And more and more are doing that. That makes work easier in the event of bereavement, ”says the Peckelsheimer.
Always open to guests
Those who have their deceased animal cremated individually can take the ashes home in an urn, for example, or the ashes can be buried in the adjacent urn cemetery. “Most owners choose to spread the ashes on a litter meadow,” explains Floren. This also happens with the ashes that are left over at the end of a collective cremation.
Floren: “Our site is always open to guests. At the weekend I meet a lot of people who go for a walk here – often with their new dog. ”
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