Belgians Pay Special Tribute To Dead Pets At Animal Funeral Home

"Having Arthur, stuffed next to me, comforts me."
Chantal Bauchez holds her stuffed barbary macaque, Moukys, at her home in Rebecq, Belgium on April 29, 2016.
Chantal Bauchez holds her stuffed barbary macaque, Moukys, at her home in Rebecq, Belgium on April 29, 2016.
Yves Herman/Reuters

Pet owners in Belgium mourning the loss of their deceased furry, scaly or feathered companions can grieve without ever really saying goodbye thanks to niche businesses like Animatrans, a funeral home for animals.

Established in 1995, the Brussels-based company offers a range of services exclusively for pets, including funerals, cremation, formal burials, autopsies and even taxidermy. But it isn't Belgian animal lovers' only option to pay a special tribute to their pets.

Operating out of Soignies, just southwest of Brussels, Samsara Eternity also offers unique memorial services and products for pets, like urns decorated with paw prints.

"Having Arthur, stuffed next to me, comforts me," Myrian Waeles told Reuters, cradling her pet duck's stuffed body. "He was always waiting for me at the door when I came home, walking next to me in the living room."

Take a look at these touching photos of pets and their owners who have defied the phrase 'til death do us part.

YVES HERMAN/REUTERS
Myriam Waeles kisses her stuffed duck, a mallard named Arthur, at her home in Lennik, Belgium, on April 29, 2016.
Yves Herman/Reuters
Cathy Vertongen, a taxidermist, cradles a stuffed dog at her workshop in Aalst, Belgium, on April 29, 2016.
Yves Herman/Reuters
Monique Kroonen-Dupont holds her stuffed Yorkshire, Doudou, at her home in Genval, Belgium on April 29, 2016.
Yves Herman/Reuters
Patrick Pendville, owner of Animatrans, poses with a stuffed dog at a taxidermy workshop in Aalst, Belgium, on April 29, 2016.
Yves Herman/Reuters
Vertongen works on a dead parrot at her workshop on April 29, 2016.
Yves Herman/Reuters
"I loved him so much that I decided to keep his ashes, to always have Chico next to me," Chantal Detimmerman said of her deceased Chihuahua, Chico, at the Samsara Eternity crematory for animals in Soignies, Belgium on April 12, 2016.
Yves Herman / Reuters
Chico's body lies in a decorated basket on April 12, 2016.
Yves Herman/Reuters
Vertongen works on a dead dog at her workshop on April 29, 2016.
Yves Herman/Reuters
People gather around the body of Bianca, a Canadian Shepherd, at the Samsara Eternity crematory for animals in Soignies, Belgium, on April 12, 2016.
Yves Herman/Reuters
Vertongen works on a dead dog at her workshop on April 29, 2016.
Yves Herman/Reuters
Pendville adjusts coffins made for animals at his shop in Brussels, Belgium, on April 15, 2016.

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