Here lies Fluffy
Funeral director makes switch from two-legged to four-legged burials
By KATHY KAHN

Elizabeth Dreeben, owner and operator of Rainbow Ridge Pet Cemetery and Crematory in Dutchess County.

It’s a quiet, sunny day at Rainbow Ridge Pet Cemetery and Crematorium in Fishkill. Owner Elizabeth Dreeben makes the daily reverse commute from her Yonkers home and not only enjoys the quiet of the Hudson Valley, but the fork in the road she took on her career path: Dreeben, a funeral director for several years, is now strictly taking care of funerals and cremations for animals.

“Being a funeral director doesn’t just mean you are making arrangements for the family,” she said. “You do it all: from picking up the deceased at any time of the day or night, to getting the person ready for burial, to working with the families.”

That family element can be a challenge in itself, said Dreeben. “Sometimes, family members are at odds with each other, and there are many personalities involved. It can be exhausting, especially if there are bad feelings between family members. I don’t think many people realize what the job involves behind the scenes. “

There is no refereeing between unhappy mourners at Rainbow Ridge; pet owners, as a rule, don’t spend time arguing over what urn, casket or keepsake they want for their beloved pet. “It’s a calm atmosphere,” says Dreeben, “where our clients are just caring pet owners who want a cremation or burial. There aren’t any family fights going on, nor any worries about if the makeup isn’t just right … pet owners only care that their pet gets a resting place they can visit or a cremation with dignity, and that’s what we provide.”

Dreeben first became interested in what might seem a grim profession through a friend at school. Her classmate went in another direction, but she followed through with the college courses to become a licensed funeral director. She worked for 10 years at Burr Davis Sharpe Funeral Homes in Mount Vernon, “where you do everything from actual preparation of the deceased to working with families to make arrangements,” said Dreeben. “What attracted me to the profession was being able to help people through a tragic time in their lives.”

She switched gears in her career by purchasing a piece of property in the Dutchess County town of Fishkill in 2004 that was large enough for a pet cemetery. The house and its 6 acres had enough land for the codicil that would allow Dreeben and her partner Kate Griffin to open Rainbow Ridge. Neighbors were curious at first but Dreeben says they have been welcoming and accepting of the unusual business.

Financing for the property came from the partners’ personal resources, a business loan from Hudson Valley National Bank in Yonkers and “a lot of sweat equity on our part … my husband helped us build the crematorium and renovate the house,” said Dreeben.

Rainbow Ridge just celebrated its first anniversary, and Dreeben is grateful her dream of owning her own business and her career move have made it to that all-important milestone. “It’s a big step to open your own business, and to be able to celebrate our first anniversary in August was a major morale booster for all of us. We did a lot of investigating and research before we went into this venture, but many businesses fail in their first year,” said Dreeben.

“So far, we have done mostly cremations, where the owners either bury their pets on the property or take them home. Some even choose to keep a few ashes in a special container to keep at home.” While cremations outnumber burials “because people move and take the cremains with them,” Dreeben relies on the Rev. David James of Mount Kisco (www.petrev.com) when services are requested, whether for a cremation or burial.

“Pet people are great,” said Dreeben, who has a few of her own at home, plus two kittens she is taking care of at work. “If we can make a difficult time that much easier, that is the goal. We just want to provide a caring atmosphere. If someone wants to be present at the cremation, we make that possible for them. “

Dreeben said her love for animals eventually led her to her shifting her career path from people to pets. “My mother does wildlife rescue, so we always had pets at our house. I have cats and a dog myself, so I can relate to losing a beloved pet. I treat our clients the same way I’d like to be treated.”

Is Dreeben ready to move from Yonkers to the Hudson Valley? “Not yet,” says the funeral director. “My three children are established in school and my husband has to travel south for his job, so we made the decision to stay where we are for now. Frankly, I don’t mind the reverse commute at all. In fact, I am flying by while others are sitting in gridlock going south.”

The Web site is www.RainbowRidgeCem.com.

 

 

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