Austin Pet Memorial Center

I recently suffered a sudden, traumatic and unexpected loss of one of my beloved service dogs, Reese, on May 12, 2016. My son called Austin Pet Memorial Center and they came to my home within an hour to pick up her body for cremation. From the moment we opened the door of our home to them, we knew the gentleman at the door understood our pain and how important a beloved pet can be to a family. This business started out of love and we felt that love immediately. They addressed all the important details we needed even helping my remaining dog to understand what had happened. Additionally, her ashes were put in a beautiful urn, an impression was made of her paw print, pieces of her beautiful hair were clipped and more. We are still feeling the pain of her loss and it will probably never go away; however, Austin Pet Memorial Center certainly helped immensely to ease our initial pain. They truly understand how important our pets can be. We will forever revere them for their magnanimous efforts to help us face this loss and make the transition.

Our Vet recommended us to Austin Pet Memorial when faced with planning end of life services for our beloved pet. They were very informative, prompt and compassionate. When we picked up our pet’s ashes they reviewed everything with is once again to ensure we were comfortable. I highly recommend them!

I have to say that I have been disappointed by this service. We had our beloved dog put to sleep in our house and the vet arranged for Austin Pet Memorial to come do a home pick up. They told her (after she was already here) that they were running a little late that morning (we were told by about 10 minutes) after we were originally told that they would be waiting outside during the procedure to avoid delays. They were over an hour late and nobody called to inform us. Having to wait that long beside my euthanized pet was heart wrenching and incredibly uncomfortable. After they finally arrived they told us that they would offer to re-​deliver her cremains for a $ 35 fee since I wasn’t able to travel to Buda to get them. After they called and told me she was ready I asked to please schedule the re-​delivery and I was happy to pay the $ 35 fee. The delivery time was the next day at noon. Well, it is currently 2:35pm on the day of the redelivery and I just got off the phone with them because nobody has shown up yet and again — NO phone call to inform me of the very late delay. They told me that they were in Leander (1 town north of us) and they weren’t able to make it until close to 5pm! I had to rearrange my schedule today to accommodate the noon drop off and not to mention my 2 little kids have been upset and anxiously waiting the return of our beloved pet for several hours now. It is very disappointing considering the emotional and sensitive nature of this type of service and despite the wonderful reviews everyone else has given them, unfortunately I cannot agree. The «yes, ma’am, I’m sorry» is not enough and am saddened by the unprofessionalism we experienced with an already difficult circumstance.

Chuck and Bryan were so gracious and helpful during our time of grief with losing our best friend Susan. We lost her early morning and Bryan was so accommodating and met us around 8:30am at the office before they regularly open to help us get her there and situated so we could cremate her. So helpful during a difficult time. Cannot thank them enough. Definitely recommend if you lose your furry best friend.

I absolutely cannot recommend this service any more. My best friend’s dog passed in a sudden accident while she was living out of town and the vet put us on a 2 week wait to cremate the dog. My friend was on her way back to town to handle it and so distraught that I called around to see what the alternatives were. I found this place online and called. Chuck was so nice and explained how their cremation is different as well as the package you receive memorializing your lost fur baby. We went in this morning and they were very soothing as they explained the process and package to my friend. They gave her time to say goodbye, didn’t rush us whatsoever, and also helped us get everything done day-​of as she was getting on a flight the next day. We received a call within 2 hours that it had been complete. They walked through all the items, including some wonderful pamphlets and poems on grieving and losing a fury loved one. It was all so wonderful in such a hard time and they made the entire process feel full of love from start to end. I can’t thank them enough for all of their help.

Although this is a sad time for our family, the folks at Austin Pet Memorial helped ease the blow of losing our beloved Sadie. From Brian, who was sweet, gentle and patient with us and our big 19 year old «pup» when he came to pick her up, to their on site office/​reception room staff, where we were met with caring and compassion. While I do not envy them their jobs, they perform a needed service with grace and respect for those of us who consider our pets family members.

The start of this amazing new year was spotted with the loss of my sweet Gertie. What an amazing companion and family member. She can never be replaced and will forever be in our hearts. Two years ago we said goodbye to our beloved Peanut after 14 years of faithful companionship and Austin Memorial did an amazing job with her memorial.
That is why I have once again decided to have Chuck and his amazing, caring, and sincere family take care of Gertie’s memorial. I called Chuck and he immediately offered condolences and set up pick-​up with Brian (who happens to be as sweet and caring as his parents).
This is never easy and I would lie if I said I was «okay» but Austin Pet Memorial takes all of the «other stuff» we have to deal with and makes it free of stress and trouble. I will forever be grateful for their service and would recommend them to everyone that needs a pet memorial.

I could not recommend this service any more. They were wonderful and so understanding of the situation. My neighbors dog passed away on Sunday, and I found out last night that he had not gotten her taken care of, as he was too distraught to deal with it. I contacted Austin pet memorial center this morning at 11 AM, and they arrived at my neighbors home at 1 PM. Julie was very respectful in removing her, and handled her with care and dignity. If you are reading this because you need their services, I am very sorry for your loss!

This truly is the best service I’ve ever used!!!
About a year and a half ago we lost our cat and decided to go with Austin Pet Memorial Center for the cremation services after an exhaustive online search for a reputable company. I could not have been happier with the results and was amazed at how quick they were to pick up our beloved Stinky after he passed in our home. Chuck, the owner, was extremely polite, courteous and most importantly sensitive to our loss during the entire process.
Sadly, we had to make the tough decision to put down our 13 year old Dachshund last night and I immediately thought of Austin Pet Memorial Center. Due to the holidays money is kind of tight at the moment so the after hours pick up fee was a bit out of our budget. I left a message with their answering service to inquire if there would be any way to avoid the fee as we wanted to get the cremation process for Weenie Dog (yes, that’s his name) to get started ASAP. Within a matter of minutes I received a call back from Linda, Chuck’s wife, giving us options to avoid the fee one of which was meeting their son, Brian, at the facility. Unfortunately Brian had just stepped into the latest Star Wars movie so she said she’d call as soon as he was out which was fine as we wanted to spend a little more time with Weenie Dog before his euthanasia. She actually called back which is almost unheard of in this day and age!
We then met Brian to drop off Weenie Dog’s remains and he was just as courteous, polite and sensitive as his parents. We sat in the office processing paperwork, taking care of payment and even chatting about the movie for a bit. All the while I felt like I was talking to an old friend and not once did I feel rushed or as if we had interrupted Brian’s night even though we probably did.
As difficult as it is to lose pets, and in our case what we consider our children since we don’t have any of our own, it is comforting to know that Chuck, Brian and Linda are out there to take care of us in times of mourning.
Kudos to you all for making this process as easy and comfortable as possible. You all are fantastic, keep up the great work! It’s no surprise to me everyone has nothing but good things to say about you all as each and every one of you truly are a godsend. We cannot thank you enough!
Wishing all of you a happy and prosperous new year!
–R.V.

Good people in business for the right reason. I’m very thankful that circumstances led me to them for the handling of my cats cremation after I had to say goodbye to her. Their service is respectful of the owners and dignified for the pet. They also do everything in their power to provide accountability and assurance that they do what they say they do. At first I wasn’t interested in keeping my pets ashes, but I’m very happy I changed my mind. The keepsakes they provided are beautiful.

I can’t say enough about Austin Pet Memorial Center.
Dr MacDonald our home euthanasia vet arranged to have the memorial center pick up our beloved dog after being euthanized at home.
They arrived early and waited down the street until we were ready for them.
Julie was who picked Jezebel up. She was fantastic. So caring.
Their service is white glove all the way. They comfortably place the animal in a basket, cover with a soft fleecy blanket and take them away. We were able to pick up the remains with in a day. The presentation upon pick up is beautiful. You are presented with keepsakes, and feel the compassion and care in which Austin Pet Memorial Center presents your pet to you.
They offer many services if you aren’t lucky enough to have your dog euthanized at home.
I highly recommend their service.

I never write reviews, but the first thing I thought after I got home was, I want people to know about the good work they do. When we had our dog euthanized at home (see below), Austin Pet Memorial was a separate service arranged by the vet. They were calming and very respectful when they arrived (right on time), to pick him up.
A couple of days later when we arrived to retrieve the cremains, Julie — the very same person who picked him up – was there to explain things and provide warm, sincere wishes. She offered to sit and talk with us about our pet, today or any day in the future. Along with the cremains they included a clay paw imprint, hair clippings, a memorial seed packet, and brochures on grief. Such sweet, unexpected additions.
Lastly, on a side note, I have to send additional heartfelt thanks to Dr. Maggie MacDonald who performed the actual euthanization. We can’t recommend her enough for her sensitivity and support at such a terrible time. Thanks to both.

We hadn’t anticipated using a private pet cremation service when it came time to say goodbye to our dog of 14 years. But with our daughter old enough to understand what was going on, we realized we needed something to help with closure, so she could say goodbye. Austin Pet Memorial Center was so kind, and the things they provided (wildflower seed mix for spreading the ashes, cast paw print, and truly caring service) ended up giving us grownups an unexpected sense of closure as well. Austin Pet Memorial Center seems to be family owned and operated, and they made us feel so much better through this difficult process — that’s a pretty remarkable thing.

We had our dog euthanized at home for his comfort. It was the least we could do. The vet arranged to have Austin Pet Memorial pick him up afterwards. They came in with a lovely whicker basket and placed his body in there, then covered him up with a blanket. It was so sweet and compassionate, as if my dog was a human. Then a few days later we picked up his ashes. They had a bag prepared with not only his ashes but so many extras, too. They made a clay cast with his paw print, clippings of his hair, a flower seed to plant, and nice readings. It was the greatest thing to receive after such a heart breaking loss. Highly recommend them.

I don’t usually see a 5-​star rating on any business on Unilocal – but after dealing with Austin Pet Memorial Center — Pet Services — Buda, I understand why. The young man who came to our home to pick up our beloved pet was genuinely sweet and caring. He made this very sad day much more tolerable. I highly recommend them.

I never expected the experience I had with this business. I called expecting a cold, emotionless price quote and was received with love and concern. I walked in and was immediately and warmly greeted by one of the most friendly and loving cats I’ve ever met («Sweety»). Then came the staff and I was floored by how caring and accommodating they were. I was also impressed with all of the options they had available for urns (even though you get a free one they had loads of other options to purchase) as well as the many different memorials they offered. They have a pick-​up service with a blanket and a basket (not a trash bag) and treated our pet like she was a family member (because that’s what she is.) They were very friendly, compassionate, empathetic and accommodating. I cannot stress enough how fantastic and helpful Austin pet Memorial Center was for our family. 6 STARS!!!

This is the kind of business you never think about until you need it. But then when you do need it, you’re glad that it’s there.
We had to say goodbye to our sweet dog Tino last week. We called Compassionate Pet Euthanasia (see related review) to have him put to sleep at home, and she contacted Austin Pet Memorial Center to handle the body. Linda and Chuck were extremely respectful, waiting outside until the process was done, and then coming in. They gently wrapped him in a blanket and placed him in a basket. They were very sympathetic and compassionate at what was a gut-​wrenching moment, and conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism.
Today, I went down to Buda to collect the ashes, which were placed in a beautiful box. We also received a clay paw print and fur clipping. Linda remembered who I was when I came in and had my kit all ready to go.
Losing Tino was one of the hardest and most painful things I’d ever experienced. I was grateful to have the assistance of such competent and compassionate professionals as Chuck and Linda. I know we’ll have to do this again sooner than we like with our other dog, and knowing what to do and that Austin Pet Memorial Center is there gives me great peace of mind.

When my sweet girl, Maggie, finally succumbed to her illness, I was devastated. While we loved our vet, I wasn’t too keen on having Maggie cremated a week later with other dogs. I wanted to her to have the dignity she deserved, and so I looked for some place that could do something private, and could also provide keepsakes like a paw print or the like.
Austin Pet Memorial is the only place around that would do that, so I took a chance. When I called them to ask questions and make arrangements, Linda was the one who helped me through it. She was soo kind, gentle and sincere.
They called our vet and let them know they’d be coming, and arrived on time. They had Maggie ready to come home about 24 hours from when they picked her up. They walked me through everything they had prepared when I got there, and I could see that were moved just talking to me about the significance of the grief pamphlet, fur clippings, paw print, and Maggie’s ashes. They do this everyday, and I was surprised they were as feeling as they were! They even gave me some special soil to mix her ashes in for when we get ready to plant something in the backyard in remembrance of Maggie.
These are wonderful, caring people who love what they do for pets and people. I highly recommend them to anyone who wants to honor their pet family member.

My beautiful sweet boy, Reiko was my cat of 14 yrs. I dreaded the day I would inevitably have to say goodbye, but Chuck at Austin Pet Memorial Center turned my goodbye into a thoughtful, compassionate, respectful, and loving experience. He is very professional, patient, and understanding of such a devastating loss. They have so many unique & beautiful keepsakes that are custom to my Reiko. The prices are very reasonable, and I couldn’t imagine a better experience during this time of despair.
Chuck and his son went above and beyond the call of duty. Many thanks to them.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Cruz & Reiko

Austin Pet Memorial is as good as it gets! During such a difficult and devastating time, Chuck and his team were the pinnacle of professionalism, empathy and compassion.
We received weekend service within 24 hours of reaching out to them without any extra fees or charges. The presentation and memorial items from my pet were absolutely beautiful and comforting. My family is tremendously grateful for the folks at APMC.