About us

In the Beginning

In 1967 a farmer sadly lost his loyal dog in a tragic accident. Heart-broken, he buried his companion and erected a headstone to mark the grave. That stone, which may still be seen and read, is now surrounded by markers for many other faithful pets in our memorial gardens.

Friends of Rossendale

Over the years, we have met many truly wonderful people from all walks of life, each with their own story to tell. The stories we hear of unconditional love, warmth, courage and compassion and the feedback we receive is why we do what we do.

Below is a review from one such client, who is very dear to us.

We only hope that we can help you in some small way when you need us most and we hope their few words will help bring you comfort.

A Special Place

"Your pet is a part of your family, your best friend and so when the time comes to say goodbye, you owe it to them (and yourself) to give them the best send-off you can.

It is an incredibly difficult time and you are bound to be very upset. You can be tempted to leave everything up to the vet, but having lost 4 cats in the last few years, I've come to realise that the best way for me of dealing with the arrangements for cremation or burial is to get in touch with the staff at Rossendale directly.

Rossendale Pet Crematorium and Memorial Gardens is a very special place. It is set overlooking the valley and is very well kept and cared for. The staff there are so understanding and helpful. They know it's a massively difficult time for grieving owners and will help in any way they can.

Every pet is different as is every pet owner, and I can only give my thoughts on how I have dealt with the loss of my cats. I couldn't bear to think of them rotting away in the ground, or to be parted from where they've always lived and from me, so I chose to have them individually cremated.

I've taken them up to Rossendale from Manchester, and had an attended cremation, which is available only by appointment, so I'd urge pet owners to call the crematorium as soon as possible following their pets' passing. (It's very easy to keep your deceased pet at home for a day or two until the appointment).

Once at Rossendale, you can choose to sit a little while in their little chapel of rest and then when you're ready, you can take your friend to the crematorium building yourself, or if you'd prefer, have one of the staff take them there for you.

The process of cremation takes a little while, even for a pet as small as a cat, but this gives you time to have a walk around the gardens and think your thoughts. Your pet will then be returned to you in the casket of your choice and there are options to suit all budgets.

Individual cremation is just that - your pet is cremated separately and you can be certain that you will get their ashes back and no-one else's. However, whatever method you choose, you can rest assured that your pet will be treated with care and dignity.

Dealing with the aftermath of the death of your pet can be hard, but the dignity and care offered at Rossendale helps so much. I now have 4 little caskets which will in time be cremated with me when my time comes, and I take comfort in knowing that I've cared for my 4-legged friends just as well in death as I did when they were alive."