Pet Memorial Service
Summary
Losing a pet is one of the most difficult experiences a family can face. Dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and other companions are often true family members, and their passing leaves a profound absence. Through pet taxidermy services, I offered families a respectful and enduring way to honor that bond.
Taxidermy, 3D Printing
Category
Year
2022-2024
Role
Freelance
Preserving Individuality
Pet taxidermy is a unique challenge for taxidermists: while it is easy to make an animal look like “that species”, it’s difficult to make it look like “that specific one”.
By using 3D scanning and 3D modeling to reconstruct each pet’s unique muscle structure, this approach allows for greater precision in preserving individual presence and memory.
Service of Listening
More than a craft, pet taxidermy is a listening-driven service. We view the pre-production phase as a collaborative ritual; the dialogues shared with pet owners are the foundational layers of the memorial. These interactions transform the service into a space for empathy, making the process of 'remembering' just as vital as the final preservation.
Sometimes memories were revealed through unspoken cues. This beagle was brought to me in the summer, its back already decayed. The owner offered no background or photos to me, leaving a silence that felt like neglect. However, through the discovery of surgical scars and the scent of IV medication, I uncovered a history of a last-ditch rescue.
I preserved the beagle as a shoulder mount to save as much of it as possible. The owner later revealed their delay was because they were too heartbroken to say goodbye, and this portrait finally gave them the peace of mind to let go.