MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — A Marana woman opened Cholla Afterlife, a pet funeral home that also offers animal cremation. The owner had a less than pleasant experience with her pets’ cremation years ago, which inspired her to start this business and offer the service.

Dr. Paula Rivadeneira, the owner, said when her dog and cat were cremated in 2008, she was unsure if she was getting the correct ashes and paw prints from the crematorium and found the process impersonal.

“Yes, you can keep her collar, you can keep her tag, but it is her physical body and not having her ashes or not having the confidence and assurance that it is her ashes is devastating to me,” said Dr. Rivadeneira.

Cholla Afterlife is one of two places in Tucson that offers Aquamation, or alkaline hydrolysis.

“The animals go into this machine and when you do an individual aquamation,” said Dr. Rivadeneria, “they actually go into their own individual compartments that you can actually see here.”

Aquamation uses water and alkaline chemicals instead of flames to decompose the remains.

“At the end of the process,” said Dr. Rivadeneria, “all that remains is bone.”

The bones are then placed in a drying room.

“As I said, everything is tracked so I know where everyone is. Then I process the bones into the powder that you get in your return container,” said Dr. Rivadeneria.

The water left over from the process is free of pathogens, full of nutrients and can be used as fertilizer.

“It brings life and I love that! They can take it home and know that this plant is alive and thriving thanks to the water from this process,” said Dr. Rivadeneria.

Dr. Rivadeneira says she wants to help send pets across the Rainbow Bridge in a way that makes everyone feel comfortable and provide them with comprehensive aftercare.