What Mico Should’ve Had: The Pet Angel Story

By Coleen Ellis, Founder of Pet Angel Memorial Center®

In May, 1989, I moved into my first ‘big girl’ house! I had already decided that the first thing I’d do would be to adopt a puppy. My life had always been spent with pets, having the type of Mother who willingly allowed strays to stay. Our home always had at least 3 dogs, whatever kitties had wandered onto the property, as well as an occasional calf, goat, bunny, and the always ever-present gold fish, Wilt.

The boxes were barely off the truck before I trotted to the Humane Society to see what I could find. There, at the front, in a fish aquarium next to a baby Doberman, was two pounds of feisty. The poor Doberman just watched as he allowed the loud little doggie to speak for herself – and hopefully him too.

My heart went out to her, and that day I fell head over heels in love. Mico came home and quickly became a very large part of my world and my day-to-day activities. I selflessly gave to her, and she gave everything back to me tenfold.

If you’ve ever loved a pet this way…

If you’ve ever thought of your pet not just as an animal,
but as a full-fledged member of your own family…

If you ever wanted to see them treated with the
same dignity and respect as we give to each other…

You’ll understand why, when we learned that cancer was ravaging Mico’s little body, my world began to crumble. We did all that we could, but on April 21, 2003, at the age of 14, my little girl went to be my new little angel. My world stopped and my heart broke. A little piece of me died with her that day in surgery.

Now I had to do the unthinkable. I had to decide what my last act of love was going to be for her in memorializing her. I didn’t know where to turn, and I didn’t know what was going to be good enough.

We made our decision, through much turmoil. And, it was the best decision that could’ve been made with the limited choices that we had. However, Mico deserved more.

She deserved pomp and circumstance. She deserved to have everyone who had been a part of her life, and whose lives she had touched, to pay their last respects. She deserved to have that one last time for everyone to remember her and to share in those funny stories. She deserved so much more.

On that day, I knew what I had to do for families like yours, going through what my family went through in this loss. I knew there were others who felt the same way I did in their roles as pet mommies and daddies.

And so, that day, I made a vow to change how the pet death care process is handled. That day, Pet Angel Memorial Center began its inception.

Every day I meet with a family, I treat them the way I would’ve wanted when Mico died. Every pet that I lovingly handle, I handle like I wanted Mico to be handled. And every day, I go home emotionally exhausted, but satisfied, because I know that Pet Angel Memorial Center provides what my little Mico should’ve had.

Mico, this is all for you.

Our family, always there for your family. Contact us to make your arrangements.

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