When groomer Jan I’Aboni posted a memorial for Meggy – a 14-year-old Yorkie mix – on the sign at her South Portland shop, Candace Karu said she broke down and cried.

Suddenly, the loss of her pet, which she privately mourned, was acknowledged in public.

“This was an easy way, really the only way, to let my friends and the community know of Meggy’s passing,” said Karu, a Cape Elizabeth resident and magazine editor. “Pet owners feel a huge loss when an animal dies, but it is not always recognized. This is not an outlet for it.”

Creature Comforts, a pet grooming and day care business I’Aboni owns near Mill Creek Park, is marking the 10th anniversary of posting remembrances of dogs and cats that recently died. The simple memorials are announced on a highly visible marquee sign on Ocean Street, which hundreds of motorists can see daily as they travel on Broadway, the city’s main thoroughfare.

I’Aboni originally offered the free public tributes to her clients, but she now frequently gets requests from strangers who want to have their recently deceased dogs or cats memorialized on the large, free-standing sign. I’Aboni estimated she has posted about 250 tributes over the years – enough memorials that it has become the unofficial place to post death notices for local pets.

I’Aboni rotates a new tribute about once a week, since she usually has a backlog of two or three requests at a time. She declines to ask for a fee to post the messages, saying she considers it a community service. Clients, friends and associates of clients, or pet owners who have noticed the sign phone her with announcements.

“People who work in the pet field realize how significant the relationship is between a pet and person,” I’Aboni said. “I have a means or venue to memorialize the pet, and people have just loved it.”

I’Aboni admits that she has gotten a few complaints over the years from people who say the postings are “morbid.” But she said most people she hears from seem to appreciate the condolences.

Every pet gets the same memorial. The pet is identified by name, with the message “RIP.” The tribute “Good Dog” is offered for canines and “Fine Cat” for felines.

Although the tribute may seem generic, pet owners say the recognition feels deeply personal. They note that there are no regular public notices in newspapers of a pet’s passing, as there are with written obituaries and funeral announcements for people.

“I took pictures of the sign and put a photo in a tin with my dog’s ashes when he was buried,” said Barbara Everett, whose 16-year-old dog, Pete, a lab mix, was memorialized on I’Aboni’s sign.

“I was surprised at how much the memorial meant to me,” said Everett, a long-time South Portland resident. “Pete used to run with me when I cross-country skied at Crescent Beach. I took him kayaking… He came to work with me each day,” said Everett, who runs a convenience store in Lewiston.

“It felt good that he was remembered. It felt really good.”

Karu said pet owners feel a grief over the loss of an animal that they may be reluctant to share, for fear that some people will not understand.

“There are many different kinds of losses,” she said. “There is the loss of a job or a home or divorce. With pets, they give such unconditional love that humans sometimes find difficult to achieve with each other. It is very difficult to replace.”

The interest in pet owners to emphasize – and put a special focus on – their relationship with animals is a national trend, with the sales of pet supplies and services a multi-billion-dollar industry. South Portland pet owners are no exception. Local businesses have responded with highly specialized services.

Dances With Dogs, a pet day care operation, recently opened on Ocean Street with a special focus on young and small dogs. It boasts of being the only day care in Maine that exclusively caters to small breeds and pups. The business boasts of offering “a state-of-the-art playground… designed specifically for the developmental needs of your puppy.”

Trips with Pets, a nationwide Internet service that connects pet owners with travel accommodations, has located its headquarters in the waterfront business district. The Kennel Shop, a Maine-based pet supply retailer, opened a store this year in the Mill Creek shopping center.

At Creature Comforts, I’Aboni’s grooming services are in such demand that she does not accept new clients. She is completely booked, with appointments made a year in advance.

Pet owners also are demanding recreational areas for their animals. Pet access to open spaces is a hot topic in South Portland. Hundreds of pet owners have lobbied the city – through the South Portland Dog Owners Group – to maintain access to Willard Beach for their animals, despite some complaints from property owners.

JoAnn D’Orsay, who owned Vinnie, a miniature schnauzer, says she is not surprised that people feel so connected to their pets.

D’Orsay, who is 79, said she regularly walked Vinnie to Bug Light Park from her apartment at the Betsy Ross House. She described Vinnie as her constant companion for eight years until the dog’s recent death from kidney failure. D’Orsay said Vinnie was by her side when she moved from the family home on Harriet Street to Riverside Place and finally to the Betsy Ross House.

“She hunkered right down and stayed with me,” D’Orsay said.

After Vinnie was euthanized, I’Aboni posted the small tribute on the sign outside of Creature Comforts.

“My daughter told me when the sign went up,” D’Orsay said. “I went over there to Mill Creek and looked up. I just cried a little bit and thought how wonderful it was to have that. Jan doesn’t have to do that, to remember all our dogs. It was an honor.”

I’Aboni says she often feels connected to the pets that are mourned. She may have groomed them, clipped their nails or provided day care. The community condolences seem to resonate with pet owners, she said.

“I don’t think people have had that opportunity very often for a public display of their pet’s passing,” I’Aboni said. “So it means a lot to them.”

On the rare occasion that Creature Comforts is not memorializing a pet on its freestanding sign, the business offers pet-themed sayings. During the December holidays, I’Aboni will sometimes post the message, “Not a Creature Was Stirring.”

Another favorite is the short adage: “Try to Be the Person Your Pet Thinks You Are.”

Solace in a sign – Highly visible Mill Creek tributes ease grieving pet ownersSolace in a sign – Highly visible Mill Creek tributes ease grieving pet owners

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