For both humans and pets, cremation is a process by which a body is exposed to high heat and reduced to cremated remains.

If your pet passes away at your veterinarian’s hospital, you can ask who they choose for their pet aftercare services. If your vet clinic works with Gateway, there is no need to contact us. They will notify us about your pet’s passing and your final arrangement wishes for your pet.

If your veterinarian does not use Gateway, and you wish to use our services, you may bring your pet to one of our locations. Please call us and we can help you make arrangements.

If your pet passes at home, we suggest that you contact your veterinarian’s office to help you make arrangements, or contact us and we can help you with next steps.

This depends on the type of service you choose, and any memorial products you would like included. For some of our custom memorial items (paw prints, specialty urns or jewelry), it can take up to 6 weeks or more for these items to be returned. Typically, most people receive their pet’s cremated remains within a week.

Once you have made your aftercare arrangements with your veterinarian, we will work directly with them to ensure that your wishes are honored. If you chose to have your pet’s cremated remains returned to you, or chose to have any memorial items or keepsakes, these will be delivered to your veterinarian’s office and they will contact you directly.

Rest assured that your pet is in good hands, and that we are honored by the trust that our veterinary partners and pet parents place in us.

While there is no need to contact us, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you do have questions or concerns so that we can put your mind at ease.

The cost will vary depending on the type of service that you choose. Please speak to your vet for pricing, or give us a call where we will explain your options.

Your veterinarian may explain the different services that are available to you – here’s what the different types of cremation services are:

Private Cremation – only one pet is placed in the crematory and cremated. Cremated remains are returned to the family.

Individual Cremation – more than one pet may be placed in the crematory with a physical separation between pets. Cremated remains are returned to the family.

The outcome of BOTH private cremation and individual cremation at Gateway is the same – a single pet’s cremated remains are returned to the pet’s family.

Communal Cremation – a pet is cremated communally, and cremated remains are not returned to the pet’s family. A family can still choose to have a memorial of their pet – for example, a paw print impression – that takes place prior to cremation

This is a common question, and rest assured that your pet is tracked throughout the entire aftercare process. Gateway uses a proprietary tracking system called Paws e-Track, which tracks your pet through the aftercare journey. Your pet is assigned a unique identification number that is electronically scanned at multiple points through the aftercare process, from your veterinarian’s office and throughout our facility. As Canada’s first accredited pet aftercare facility, we offer 100% traceability and transparency.

We bury the cremated remains of pets at one of our peaceful, scenic pet cemeteries. These are located near London and Brockville, ON.

We encourage including flowers, letters and photos. If you would like to send a blanket or towel we request that they be small and made from natural fibers. Please make sure that you indicate this wish to your veterinarian when making arrangements.

Yes, we have this option available at our facilities if you wish to witness your pet’s cremation. There is an additional fee involved to be present for this service (Viewing and Visitation). Please let your veterinarian know that you are interested in this option, or contact us for more details.