Soaring numbers of grieving pet owners are freeze-drying their furry friends when they die so they don't have to say goodbye.
Unlike traditional taxidermy where an animal's hide may be removed and their shape distorted, freeze-drying is more natural and can better preserve their appearance.
One freeze-dry taxidermist, Chuck Rupert, who owns a company called Second Life Freeze Dry, told DailyMail.com that he typically preserves up to 90 animals a year, including dogs, cats, hamsters, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, ferrets, squirrels, minks and even rattlesnakes.
But this service does not come cheap, and depending on the animal's size the cost can range from $1,200 to $4,000, and up.
Among those who've used it are Anni Pereya, who was distraught when her dog Nate passed away in March 2023, almost 11 years after she rescued the Yorkie-Maltese mix from an Arkansas puppy mill.
‘I found Second Life Freeze Dry through an internet search. I liked the aesthetic of the photos and wholesome poses,' she said. ‘It was not something I even knew about it but as soon I learned about it – it just made complete sense to me.'
‘It really helped me so much with my grieving process.'
Chuck Rupert, who owns a company called Second Life Freeze Dry, told DailyMail.com that he typically preserves up to 90 animals a year, including dogs, cats, hamsters, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, ferrets, squirrels, minks, turtles and even rattlesnakes
Anni Pereya pictured with her Yorkie-Maltese mix, Nate, who she rescued from an Arkansas puppy mill. In March 2023, Nate died, and learned about Second Life Freeze Dry through an internet search that she claims helped her with the ‘grieving process'
Pereya said when she picked up Nate after he was preserved (pictured) it was an emotional moment. He looked so lifelike – just like he did when he was alive, she said. He now sits on his dog bed in her bedroom, so she can delight in seeing him everyday
In fact she was so impressed and equally fascinated by the service, she is now considering purchasing Rupert's company when he goes into semi-retirement later this year.
Second Life Freeze Dry is located in rural Pennsylvania, but Rupert said requests come from all over the US and abroad – including a cat mailed from Singapore and a dog from Hong Kong.
Explaining how he handles foreign orders, Rupert said: ‘It can be done but it is costly. I have to send them to a broker who can clear customs,' he explained.
The process of freeze drying is a labor of love but also a laborious one.
Typically, smaller animals take four to five months to preserve and larger animals up to a year.
He explained that the process involves removing the animals organs, filling the body cavity with a natural wood filler before the animal is sewn back up.
Then, he places the animal in a pose that the pet owner requested – often sleeping with their eyes closed, sitting with their eyes open or wearing a happy expression.
More than half of his clients, he said, request a sleeping peaceful pose, but there are others who want a more animated lively expression. He has done some preservations where the dog is in his sweater or on his doggie bed.
‘I have a client who told me how his cat would place each paw in his tennis shoes when he came home from work every night, so I am preserving the cat in the exact pose he requested with tennis shoes and all.'
Rupert explained that once the pose is finalized, they are placed in a freeze dried machine that has a vacuum which extracts moisture from the tissue and preserves it so the animal will not decompose.
‘It isn't magic,' he explained. ‘It is cold temperatures and a vacuum that is what preserves the animal.'
Once the drying portion is completed, he uses oil based paints to give the animal more color and make them look like they did when they were alive.
He averages about 70 to 90 animals per year.
Rupert said: ‘People think its the greatest thing that ever happened, or it's absolutely crazy.'
He added: ‘I never had anyone regret the decision.'
A Golden Doodle, one of the larger dogs, that Rupert has worked on, appears life-life as it is positioned lying on his belly and looking up
Most people request a sleeping, peaceful pose for their pets like this cat
The Chihuahua is positioned in their dog bed as per the client's request
A guinea-pig is one of the small critters Rupert has preserved for its owners
In his ten years in the business, he revealed some of the strangest requests he's had – such as the time someone called him about freeze drying a man's ‘testicles.'
He laughed and told DailyMail.com ‘that was a request I denied. I guess, I found out that I do have a line.'
‘And, the truth is that that organ itself would not be a good candidate for the dryer.'
He did once accept a human body part – a woman's foot.
‘It was a guy from California whose mother was having her foot amputated and for religious reasons they needed her foot so she could be buried complete,' he explained.
Strangely enough, he said the hospital would not release the foot to the family, but after checking out his credentials shipped it directly to him.
He said the foot took a lot longer to preserve than expected and ended up needing up to nine months in the dryer.
‘That request came in about four to five years ago and I don't believe she has perished yet,' he said. ‘That was one of the wildest requests.'
He laughed. ‘There's nothing anybody could call and ask me about that would surprise me or set me back. It's all just fairly crazy.'
He admitted that while he is in the freeze -dry taxidermy business, he doesn't think he would choose this option for his own pets when they pass.
Animals of all shapes and sizes can be freeze-dried, even this snake
‘From a personal standpoint, I would never want to have a pet of mine preserved and sitting around,' he said. ‘It would literally be like getting kicked in the teeth everyday when I come home. It's hard enough when you lose them.'
He said that many of his clients choose this path because it gives them a sense of ‘comfort.'
‘It gives them a feeling that their pet is home again,' he said. ‘People are amazed that their pet looks exactly as it did the last time they saw them.'
Pereya said when she picked up Nate after he was preserved it was an emotional moment. He looked so lifelike – just like he did when he was alive, she said.
He now sits on his dog bed in her bedroom, so she can delight in seeing him everyday.
