Maxwell views the world.
“What is the smallest pet cremated?” That question often surfaces when I am talking with families about arrangements for their pet’s cremation. They frequently ask about “the largest and the smallest pet cremated”. And until recently, goldfish and sugar gliders were the 1A and 1B of the smallest pets….until now.
Maxwell was a fire-bellied newt and lived a happy little life with his human, going everywhere with her. Travel was made easy due to his size, for Maxwell was about the size of a quarter. This picture of him underwater was taken right after he recovered from an illness. He was bright eyed and inquisitive and in this photo, you can almost see him smiling due to the loving care that brought him back from his illness.
However, after twelve years, he finally succumbed and his family wanted to have him cremated so they could keep him with them still. The family called and asked if it was possible to cremate a newt. I could see no reason why he could not be cremated, so he was brought to Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation wrapped in a paper towel and carefully placed in a little box. The pictures that follow include photographs of Maxwell’s remains after cremation. If you are upset by this level of detail, please do not scroll down.
Maxwell before cremation.
When it came time for his cremation, I took this photo of him next to a quarter so that I could document his size and shape both before and after the procedure.
Maxwell on hearth.
This next picture is of his cremains after the cremation, again next to the quarter for size comparison. If you look closely, you can see his skull and his little leg protruding from his back just like in the picture before the cremation. His backbone is linked together like a set of tiny toggles that just perfectly align with each other. I am always amazed at how perfectly our pets are fashioned and being in this profession, I see that even the very smallest of pets, is perfect. To say the family was pleased at the outcome of the cremation always sounds a bit odd, but after you appreciate the detail that it takes to perform a cremation this small, you can see the loving care and concern that is a part of every cremation performed at Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation.
The photo of Maxwell after removal from the hearth shows in clearer detail the beauty of the spine that fits together with such precision even as tiny as it is. The family enthusiastically supported the decision to share Maxwell’s story so that he could claim his notoriety as the smallest pet cremated (at least at Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation.) For more information about pet cremation, go to www.ccpc.ws
Maxwell after removal from the hearth