A pet crematorium dumped animals in mass graves instead of cremating them, the lawsuit alleges

Two veterinarians who contracted with an animal crematorium are accusing the company of failing to provide them with the services they paid for and claim their reputations have suffered.

LARIMER COUNTY, Colorado - Two northern Colorado veterinarians are suing an animal crematory, claiming it billed them for cremation services that were not provided and buried animals in mass graves when a "communal cremation" was requested.

Precious Memories Pet Cemetery & Crematory, Inc. has contracted with Edwards Veterinary Services to provide cremation services since July 2013. Western Skies began working with Precious Memories in October 2019.

Both are no longer employed by the crematorium and have sued her and about 50 other unidentified individuals who may have done work for the business.

In a statement, Samantha Staggs, director of operations at Precious Memories, said they were "shocked" to learn of the allegations and said they are "in full compliance with all laws and regulations related to our business."

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Larimer County District Court, alleges that Precious Memories, a Fort Collins-based company, advertised pet burial and cremation services on its website and claimed that all of their cremations were private and that the remains were returned to the clinic or owner unless other arrangements were made.

According to the lawsuit, the Standards of Practice for Pet Cremation defines "private cremation" as a cremation in which one animal is placed separately in a cremator. The lawsuit alleges that Precious Moments actually provided "private" cremations. This is when more than one pet is placed in a cremation chamber and cremated at the same time, separating them from each other.

She also accuses Precious Memories of dumping animals in landfills or burying them in mass graves when a shared group cremation was required.

Both veterinarians also allege in the lawsuit that they were billed for paw claw impressions that were not provided for the animal in question. The alleged fraud was discovered around September 2022, the lawsuit says. Both companies claim the fraud has affected their business and reputation and are seeking financial damages through the lawsuit.

The following is the full text of Staggs' statement, as provided by the company's attorney.

"We were shocked to learn of the allegations made against Precious Memories. We pride ourselves on the care we take with every cremation and burial. We fully comply with all laws and regulations associated with our business."

We strive for complete transparency and invite any pet owner or veterinary clinic to come into our business and understand the cremation and burial process for all the animals we care for. Transparency has been our mission since the inception of our business."

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office said it was not aware of any complaints against the business, and a preliminary search did not reveal any criminal records associated with the Precious Memories address.