By THERESA MARTHEY
The Preston County News and Journal
ARTHURDALE, W.Va. — “We love them just as much as you do” is the philosophy and motto behind a new pet crematory set to open at the end of September in Arthurdale.
Owner/operator and Arthurdale resident Luke Massey has been working in the funeral business for about 10 years, beginning at the age of 15, and is in the middle of constructing and forming the Luke Massey Pet Cremation Service.
“Pets are not just pets,” Massey said. “They are family members, and I want to be able to provide these services to residents.”
“She has always been there and gives unconditional love,” Massey said. “Animals are the only things that give us unconditional love, and I want to do what I can to help. I will strive to provide a personalized, individual cremation of your beloved pet.”
Massey said he will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to pick up pets when they pass away.
“I will also be making donations to local animal rescue programs when someone uses my services,” Massey said. “If you are in Preston County, I will make a donation in that county. If you are in Monongalia County, I will make a donation in Mon County.”
Massey is also offering advance planning before the services are needed.
“Because we have been there, we understand the loss of a pet is one of the hardest losses in life,” Massey said. “When the time comes, you can be assured you made the decision to remember your pet in the way you want.”
Massey said the idea came to him as he was working at a funeral home in Clarksburg that had a pet crematory.
“I wanted to come back home,” Massey said. “We don’t have any pet crematories that are close.”
Massey will be offering his service to surrounding counties in addition to Preston County.
“If someone in Monongalia County, Barbour, Taylor, Marion or even Tucker need the services, I will be there,” Massey said.
Massey is hoping to open a storefront in Reedsville in the next couple of years, but for right now he will be using his home on D-Road in Arthurdale.
“The application with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to get the approval for the crematory was approximately 25 pages long,” Massey said. “We had to publish the application in the newspaper, and there was a time for people to write in with their concerns.”
Massey said the crematory he is purchasing is one with which he has worked in the past, and it is eco-friendly.
“There will be hardly any emissions from it, and no odor,” Massey said. “And I know that is one of the worries when crematories come in the area.”
Massey said the only outward sign of the crematory will be a smokestack, and there will be fewer emissions than from a fuel oil furnace.
To learn more about the Luke Massey Pet Cremation Service, he can be reached at (304) 692-2974.
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