Pet Passages - Rochester, NY
585-265-9933
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Company Overview

Franchise

Our pet funeral home and crematory in Ontario, NY is the headquarters for our national franchise, Pet Passages. Mike Harris, founder, president and CEO of Pet Passages, has decided to locate his company’s headquarters, corporate offices, warehouse, distribution center, national training facility and local pet funeral home and crematory in Ontario, New York as this is the area where his passion and dream began.  As a caring member of his community, this allows him to focus on his growing business while being able to raise his children in the home they’ve grown in and at the same time, improve his local economy.

Following in the footsteps of my father and grandfather, I, Mike Harris, am a third-generation licensed funeral director. I worked as such in my family’s funeral home since 1993. In November of 2016, I decided to step away from the human side of my profession to focus exclusively on pet cremation and funeral services, where my true passion lies.

In the late spring of 2008, within a short two months, I lost my two best friends and family members, Rottweilers Luke (purple) and Hannah (red). Devastated by the deaths of my loving companions, I wanted to give my deceased pets the same love and respect in death as I gave them in life, just as it would be for any one of my human family members.

As I researched and learned the options available to me in the pet funeral and cremation profession, I was extremely disheartened by the unprofessional treatment, lack of dignity and care beloved pets received upon their passing. Everywhere I looked I found the same unfortunate mistreatment.

Having been given the gift of unconditional love, lessons in responsibility and true friendship, I knew that God gave me these dogs for a bigger purpose.

My loss then became my dream and dedication. Given my education, training, experience and family heritage, I knew it was my responsibility to improve the quality of end of life pet care. I set out to gather as much information and learn as much as I could. In 2009, Pets at Peace by Harris Funeral Home was created.

With the instant success of the new pet funeral home and crematory, I realized that with my business model, training and experience, I could help pet parents all over the country. In August of 2011, I created Pet Passages®, a company that has truly set the highest possible standard of dignified, quality care for the pet funeral and cremation profession. My love for animals, dedication to compassionate care and professionalism, combined with the latest technology and training has made Pet Passages® the absolute best providers of pet funeral and cremation services.

Corporate

Pet Passages® is different. Unfortunately, for decades, and still to this day, there is a significant lack of Federal and State regulations in place to guide and oversee the operations of pet funeral and cremation providers. With this lack of oversight, unethical practices can and do occur. Service levels, operational practices and standards vary greatly from pet cremation provider to pet cremation provider with no assurance in quality. Not only is this extremely concerning but it is very challenging for pet parents to find reputable pet cremation providers that will care for their deceased pet with the respect and dignity their companion deserves.

We are North America’s largest independently owned and operated provider of pet funeral and cremation services. Pet Passages® is the name families and veterinarians turn to for professional and compassionate end of life pet care.

Designed by the founder, Mike Harris, each location is individually owned and operated so that the focus is on you, the pet parent, and not the stockholders or investment partners. The Pet Passages® brand is your assurance of exceptional professionalism, quality, and value, in addition to unparalleled customer care and satisfaction.

Our franchisees believe that creating meaningful ways to pay tribute to a beloved pet begins with compassion and an understanding that each pet’s life is truly unique. For us, there is no greater responsibility than honoring and preserving the story and memories of a family’s beloved pet.

Quick Facts

  • Pet Passages® is recognized as the leading authority within the pet funeral and cremation profession. We are committed to our profession with our main goal being to constantly raise the bar and be the standard bearer of quality for end-of-life care.
  • Pet Passages®is not an association. This means we do not have an open membership to just anyone willing to pay dues.
  • Each franchise location must meet very specific brand requirements concerning all operational procedures, facility amenities, interior design, furnishings, equipment, and vehicles. This allows us to provide continuity of exceptional pet loss service from any one of our franchise locations! As the innovative leader in the pet funeral and cremation profession, we are very proud to say that we are now the only end of life pet care provider who can offer this high level of continuity to North America.
  • We are the only organization that has an extensive training program which includes actual hands-on instruction of the proper techniques to ensure the correct handling, care, and cremation of deceased companion pets.
  • All Pet Passages® franchisees are immersed in our rigorous training program at Pet Passages® Academy, and upon completion, they are recognized as Certified Pet Funeral Directors.
  • Our comprehensive and proven Secure Passages™ pet identification, tracking, and chain of custody policies and procedures are designed to ensure peace of mind by guaranteeing that you receive only your companion pet’s cremated remains.
  • Pet Passages® provides its franchisees with an ongoing educational program designed to keep them the most highly trained and informed pet loss professionals in the industry.
  • We have developed the most advanced, state-of-the-art pet cremation software and technology available anywhere.
  • As an exclusive benefit to our pet parents, Pet Passages® offers Pet Tales™, the only local and national online pet obituary system where you can honor and memorialize your pet using words, pictures, video, and music.
  • We design and manufacture our own product line of high quality, dignified pet memorial products including urns, grave markers, and jewelry.
  • Pet Passages® provides grief support materials to help honor and commemorate the significance of the pet in the lives of pet owners.

Our Story

Our founder, president, and CEO, Mike Harris is a third-generation licensed funeral home director and worked in his family’s funeral home for almost 25 years from 1993 until the end of 2016. In 2008 when he suddenly lost his two best friends, Rottweilers Luke and Hannah, he searched extensively for compassionate pet funeral and cremation options that fit with what he was accustomed to at traditional funeral homes. Shockingly, he never found what he was looking for, and even worse, he was constantly met with unprofessionalism and a serious lack of dignity and compassion for his beloved pets.

Right then and there, Mike made the decision to devote his life to creating a compassionate space and experience worthy of our pets—some of the most integral members of our families.

Given his education, training, experience, and family heritage, he knew it was his responsibility to improve the quality of end-of-life pet care. Mike set out to gather as much information and learn as much as he could so he could develop a new and modern pet cremation business model. In 2009, he launched his first pet funeral home and crematory, Pets at Peace by Harris Funeral Home. Given its immediate success, Mike then started Pet Passages® in August of 2011, a company that has truly set the highest possible standard of dignified, quality care for the pet funeral and cremation profession.

Visit the Pet Passages® Corporate Website