JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new organization is turning the ashes of pets who have passed into reefs that will help replenish the ocean, giving pet lovers a new way to honor and remember their pets after death.
Cindy TenHagen lost her beloved Chow-Hound mix Bella last year.
“She meant the world to us. She was a really loyal puppy and loved fireworks, that was her character," TenHagen said.
She wanted a way to honor a pet that had been there for her families ups and downs.
That’s where Pet Reefs came in.
"It helps ocean life, so coral can grow. So we as a family decided, that's a great opportunity. So this way she can live on. It's a beautiful way to honor her," TenHagen said.
Bella's cremated remains were placed into this Reef Ball Memorial, along with a golden plaque inscribed with Bella's named.
TenHagen drove more than 4 hours to jump on a boat and drop her memorial into the waters off Sarasota. Her memorial reef was dropped with 25 other reef balls for the inaugural event of what could be Florida's first undersea memorial garden dedicated specifically for pets.
"They're going to stay there pretty much forever and become part of the ocean floor, So, compared to just like scattering ashes, those are gone. This is a permanent resting place for someone or someone's pet," Laura Boehm, a Co-founder of Memorial Reefs International, said.
Co-founders of Memorial Reefs International says the reef ball's textured allows for coral growth and will become a shelter for fish and other marine life.
Not will it help ocean life, but it gives families like TenHagen’s a spot they can come back to and remember their pet.
“You are never forgotten by us and we keep you in our hearts forever," TenHagen said.
The goal is to put memorial reefs in oceans around the world to help ocean conservation efforts.