Pet Crematory Celebrates Recent Opening in Yorktown
By Anna Young
It’s never easy losing a pet, but the owners of the newly opened Rainbow Bridge Pet Crematory in Yorktown want to ensure every pet is treated with dignity, love and respect.
Owners Eric and Liz DiBartolo celebrated their grand opening on Sunday surrounded by local officials and members of the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce. Eric DiBartolo, president of the chamber and also co-owner of Yorktown Funeral Home in Shrub Oak, said as a dog lover he wanted to deliver a service that provides empathy and comfort during a challenging time in a family’s life.
“There are a lot of people that don’t know aftercare for pets is completely different than aftercare for humans,” he said. “There’s really no regulations and a pet is a huge part of the family, so we’re taking it to the next level and we’re excited.”
Rainbow Bridge offers around the clock, on-call pickup services, private and communal cremations, personalized urns, and a comfortable waiting room where clients can wait for their pets remains or watch the process via camera system. Clients can expect their pet remains within 24 to 48 hours.
Private cremation takes place in a cremation chamber at the state-of-the-art-facility on Front Street, with a private vehicle available to transport the pet from the home or veterinary clinic. A unique ID tag is placed with the animal and the remains are placed in a decorative urn and hand delivered to the family. The family will also receive a certificate of cremation, framed Rainbow Bridge poem with the animal’s photograph, a clipping of the pet’s fur in a laminated pouch, and their paw print in hardened clay along with a grief package.
Complimentary private cremation services are offered for police and fire K-9’s.
Transport is also included in communal cremation, but the animals are cremated in a group setting with other pets. While the facility maintains a prominent level of respect and dignity towards the pet, the ashes are not returned and are properly disposed of in a designated location.
Rainbow Bridge also offers a variety of urns and keepsakes, along with personalized art pieces, garden stones, memorial candles, remembrance cards with paw prints, video tributes and grief support literature.
Eric DiBartolo said when he presented his business plan to the Yorktown Town Board last April his idea was received with support and enthusiasm. He credited former town Supervisor Michael Grace for his continuous support and thanked him for not turning his back on the project. Town Supervisor Ilan Gilbert also payed homage to Grace for his guidance, adding that Yorktown is a community that encourages business.
“We are extremely excited to bring this new endeavor to Yorktown. It was a dream that we had put together,” DiBartolo said. “This is what happens when a community comes together.”
Rainbow Bridge Pet Crematory is located at 1789 Front Street in Yorktown Heights. For more information, call 914-455-4270, email info@rbpetcrematory.com or visit www.rbpetcrematory.com.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/