OUR STORY
The Sweet Goodbye story began with a very special pet – a dark brindle Staffy cross called Nikita. Our Founder, Natalie Venosi, had always shared her life with pet dogs and knew the pain of losing these special friends.
When Nikita reached 13 years, Nat started worrying about the future. In her words: “Having lost other beautiful dogs, I just didn’t know how I’d possibly cope when it came time to let Nikita go. I dreaded and feared that inevitable deep sorrow.”
She voiced her anxiety to close friend Madé Wirawan – a humble Balinese rice farmer Nat has known for many years. With grace and gentleness, Madé told Nat about the Balinese custom of adorning their deceased pets with beautiful trinkets and jewelry and wrapping them in a shroud – just as they would a family member. This has been an age-old tradition in indigenous cultures across the world, including among Native Americans and Australia’s Aboriginal people who honor the passing of pets as very special members of their families.
Madé spoke of the farewell rituals involved and then presented Nat with some items to take home and use when the time was right. Just having a bag containing those precious items hidden in the back of a cupboard helped Nat to feel better prepared for whenever that dreaded day arrived for Nikita.
“Of course there was desperate sadness, loss and grief when Nikita passed,” said Nat. “But performing a ritual as Madé had suggested using the symbolic items to honor Nikita and prepare for her release, brought me so much comfort. There was a sense of celebrating and remembering her life. Time passed and my initial grief transformed into a revelation that I could share with others the process I had used to help deal with my own pain over losing Nikita.”
That was the beginning of Sweet Goodbye, which has now evolved into solutions with a step-by-step guide to help us all prepare to farewell and celebrate the life of our beloved pets. We hope our pet burial and cremation farewell kits bring you peace and comfort in your time of need.
The beautifully handcrafted Sweet Goodbye COCOON® (Premium Wool) Pet Burial & Cremation Ceremony Kit is best for most cats and dogs while the Sweet Goodbye CLOUD® Pet Burial & Cremation Ceremony Kit is perfect for smaller pets. The Sweet Goodbye COCOON® (Classic Cotton) caters for all-sized pets. Our customers love these eco-friendly, softer options in comparison with a hard box pet casket. Sweet Goodbye pet farewell kits are made from natural, biodegradable materials and come in various sizes and a rainbow of attractive colors.
THE GREATER GOOD
At Sweet Goodbye, we have a strong belief in running an ethical, sustainable and environmentally-friendly business. The majority of our products are handmade with love by family businesses in Nepal and Bali and we faithfully adhere to the 10 Principles of Fair Trade as prescribed by the World Fair Trade Organization.
When you purchase a Sweet Goodbye product you are:
+ assisting family businesses in developing countries
+ assured that natural, biodegradable materials are used wherever possible
+ supporting charities that focus on animal welfare
To this last point, all animals hold a special place in our hearts, so we are committed to sharing part of all profits with charities such as Animals Asia and The Orangutan Project that we believe share our values and philosophies regarding the care and treatment of all our furry friends.
2023 PET INNOVATION AWARD
Sweet Goodbye has been recognized as creating and offering the Pet Farewell & Memorial Product of the Year, as awarded by the Pet Independent Innovation Awards program. This is the industry’s most robust recognition platform for innovators and leaders within the pet industry, judged by senior-level Pet Products Professionals who have personally worked within the pet product space. These awards have been created to recognize the most outstanding companies, services and products within the rapidly expanding pet industry.
AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTS
"... many companies are focused on making the lives of pets as comfortable and fashionable as possible. However, less consideration is given to what happens after they leave. Sweet Goodbye aims to remedy this by offering a range of gifts, kits and burial solutions designed to make every pet’s ending as unique as their life was." - LUXlife Magazine
