Luthers Central Pet Cremation. Submitted photo.

By Marv Kohlbeck

Guest Columnist

PITTSVILLE – Furry or feathered friends are kept as pets for purposes of companionship, security, or therapeutic reasons. Their life span can vary widely and death can be a result of aging, illness, medical operations, or accidents. As human beings we realize that these are the realities of life. For some people losing a pet by death is like losing a member of the family.

So it was of interest to me to hear that Dan and Danielle Luther of rural Pittsville had built a pet crematory to serve the area which would include veterinarians, humane societies, pet outlets, as well as pet lovers of rural and city locations.

I contacted the Luthers and they invited me to visit with them where I could tour the facility and find out more about what they had to offer. Located eight miles northwest of Pittsville and 12 miles  southwest of Marshfield, I found their location at 6883 Johnson Rd, Pittsville, to  be in a nicely  wooded area with their modern home sandwiched between Dan’s ” Cary Bluff Taxidermy ” shop and the newly erected crematory building, “Luthers Central  Pet Cremation.”  The new building was a sturdy structure that contained a main office, a conference room where the Luthers can discuss pet cremation matters or customers can say goodbye to their fur or feathered companions. The room also has a display of urns and jewelry in which the pet’s ashes can be placed and returned to the customer.
Besides rest room facilities and a holding area for deceased pets, the real surprise to me was the size of the cremation unit and the clarification by the Luthers of the process they go through to cremate pets. At that point Danielle stated, “Dan and I, along with our oldest son Dryden, age 14, had to attend a training session in which we learned how to operate the electrical and propane powered cremation furnace.”

The interior of the furnace has three separate chambers to enable them to handle various sizes of animals. As Dan pointed out, “The three  separate chambers allows us the capability, and assures the customer, that  only the ashes of their pet will be returned to them and not co-mingled with other ashes.”

Overall, besides the modern business setup of the facility, I was impressed with the knowledge and enthusiasm that Dan and Danielle displayed toward their new venture.

Knowing the Luther family and their love of the outdoors, which includes hunting and fishing, it is easy to understand why they have tied taxidermy and cremation to their life style.

Besides his daytime job with Staab Construction, Dan finds time to do taxidermy work in which he took an interest in as an agriculture student at Pittsville High School, where taxidermy was part of a classroom project.

That was over 20 years ago and since then, he has been licensed to provide that service. Danielle is employed at the Family Health Center in Marshfield and their three sons, Dryden, 14; Daryn, 12; and Drew, 9, all attend school in Pittsville.

For more information from the Luthers, call 715-884-1092 or e-mail [email protected].