Pet Cremation

Our Mission is to provide dignified, respectful, and affordable cremation services for pets and continued support for the families that are left behind. We understand that pets weave an important design in the makeup of our families, and we have felt the anxiety associated with the loss of a pet. Thomas Pet Crematory was established to meet the needs of pets and families alike and to treat both with dignity and care.


Thomas Pet Crematory is a division of Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory, 1849 North Seminary Street, Galesburg, IL. The crematory is located in the Thomas Legacy Center Building and is locally owned and operated by Mark and Tricia Thomas.


We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to your needs. Whether you have experienced a pet's death or desire to learn your options beforehand, please call us.


Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory is the only locally owned, full-service funeral home in the Galesburg area. We pride ourselves on the high standards we set. It is our honor and privilege to serve you and your family in your time of need.


Our highly trained and dedicated staff is available to assist you when the need arises. We offer private and communal cremation, with transportation from the place of death, whether that is from home or a veterinarian's office. Pets may also be brought to our facility at 1849 N. Seminary St. by the family and by appointment only.


The death of a pet can be a significant change in our lives, and we grieve that loss as we would any other. We have additional resources that will assist you in your grief journey.

A vase filled with flowers is sitting on a gravel surface.

Just as our pets are unique, so is our desire to memorialize them. We offer a collection of urns, in a variety of materials and shapes, that will fit the personality of your pet. For those desiring burial, we provide a selection of caskets in a price range to fit any budget.


With every cremation, we can retain a paw or nose print if desired.

A vase filled with flowers is sitting on a gravel surface.

Unique ways of memorializing your pet are also available, whether it be through a "Buddies" charm, a garden stone, or other permanent memorial. Ask us about the options available.

FAQs Regarding Pet Cremation

It is important to know the different options available when choosing cremation for your pet. Communal, partitioned, independent, and private are the most common types of pet cremation available. Thomas Pet Crematory is pleased to offer both communal and private cremation to our community.

Communal: Pets are cremated at the same time along with other pets. Cremated remains are not returned to the family.


Private, Single Pet: Only one pet is cremated from beginning to end of the cremation process. This option is performed using the same human industry standards with a guaranteed return of the pet's cremated remains.

The Rainbow Bridge

By Edna Clyne-Rekhy

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, your pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who have been ill and old are restored to health and strength, those who were hurt are made better and strong again, like we remember them before they go to heaven. They are happy and content except for one small thing, they each miss someone very special to them who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance, his bright eyes are shineing (sic), his body shakes. Suddenly he begins to run from the herd, rushing over the grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cuddle in a happy hug never to be apart again. You and your pet are in tears. Your hands again cuddle his head and you look again into his trusting eyes, so long gone from life, but never absent from your heart, and then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together.

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