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When John and Pam Prichard told me they were selling Best Friends Pet Cremation Services several months back, I was devastated. This wonderful couple helped so many pet parents through their grief with the warm care in which they handled both human and family pet needs.

I used their services on multiple occasions and never at convenient times: the night before Thanksgiving, a Friday at 5 p.m. during a rainstorm. It didn't matter when, John and Pam were always there for me.

Upon hearing Best Friends is now owned and directed by French Mortuary, a family institution for more than 100 years in Albuquerque, I felt encouraged and hopeful that the best of Best Friends would not only continue, but also grow. And it has.

Pet parents experience a wave of emotions when it comes to the death of a pet family member. Whether death occurred by accidental trauma, lingering illness, old age or a sudden onset of a medical malady, losing a buddy brings tears, anger, sometimes relief, recrimination, devastation and worst of all, loneliness.

This is a tough and overwhelming time to make decisions when you don't have all the information or facts involved with the disposition of your pet's remains.

Should you decide to leave the animal with your veterinarian with no specific plans, your pet is placed in a freezer until city employees make the rounds of vets' offices collecting the bodies. The remains are brought to the city dump, or landfill, if you will. That is your pet's final resting place.

Burying your pet in the backyard could be illegal due to city ordinances. Barring that, unless the hole is very deep, insulated and the topsoil surrounded by heavy rocks and boulders, you can be sure that other animals will get to the remains.

There's no denying that cremation can be costly, but Best Friends offers three options, more than most pet memorial services.

If you desire your pet's cremains and want to be involved in the process, a private cremation ensures that only your pet is placed in the retort. Family members can wait for the cremains in a lovely outdoor area French Mortuary provides for clients of Best Friends.

Another second category of service is separate cremation, which takes 48 hours before cremains are returned. Family members cannot be present, but you are assured that bricks used to divide the retort will keep your pet separate from others being cremated at the same time.

A communal cremation, where no remains are returned to the pet parents, allows for multiple animals to be cremated at one time. All the cremains are then taken to the Sandia Mountains for dispersal on private property owned by Best Friends.

As for the process of euthanasia, please know that this process can vary greatly from veterinarian to veterinarian.

My first experience over a decade ago was extremely serene. The veterinarian stood on the opposite side of the room, with a long tube inserted into my baby's vein. First the tranquilizer was injected, and upon my signal the lethal injection followed. I could feel my Dugal's heart beat slow, then stop, as his heart rested on mine.

At another veterinarian's office, too much tranquilizer was used and the dog dropped like a rock. I've had pets refuse to go down quietly and need to be injected several times.

Then, there are the vets who hover over your pet, not allowing you room to hold or even see your pet take its final breath.

As a responsible pet parent you want to ensure your pet's transition to the Rainbow Bridge, Heaven, or whatever your beliefs, is a smooth and fearless one.

Which is why you might want to discuss this procedure with your veterinarian prior to there being a need and ask for a recommendation for a pet loss grief counselor.

Best Friends provides grief counseling, allows time for emotions to settle. Because of their long history with families in mourning, staff know that a pet is as much a family member to you.

Lastly, but most importantly, you must be calm while your pet is spending his or her final moments on this earth. If you're crying and wailing, your pet will instinctively know something is wrong and will tense up. This doesn't help the pet or the vet. Try best you can to whisper words of love and comfort to your pet and let loose with the Kleenex afterward. That is the greatest final gift you can give to your pet.

Speaking of goodbyes, allow me the opportunity to say goodbye to the readers of American Pet Journal in The Tribune. It has been an honor to hear from you this past year and have you share your stories with me. Blessings on you and all our animals.