The Hill Pet Crematory

04/17/2026

03/12/2026

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01/26/2026

Our drive is closed!

01/09/2026

Losing a beloved pet can be one of the most emotionally difficult experiences a person can face. Whether your pet has passed away, is in failing health, has gone missing, or must be rehomed, the grief can feel overwhelming. You are not alone—and support is available!

A fellow pet owner and client of mine is starting a support group where people can come and grieve, celebrate their pet’s lives through stories and be heard and understood. No more feeling alone or like no one understands the bonds that grew between you and your pet.

Please share this post far and wide to help us get the word out.

02/26/2025

It is with great sadness that I announce the loss of our office kitty, Precious.

Precious was born in the Spring of 2011 and adopted with her brother by our kids, Emma (age 7) and Brady (age 4) from a nice home in Cape Girardeau. Precious was much more reserved than her out-going brother and was quickly named by Emma who repeated, “she’s just so precious.”

Precious truly lived up to her name and was “just so precious.” She enjoyed her alone time and a calm environment that was hard to find around our home with the dogs and the simple chaos of life with young kids. After an encounter that stressed Precious to the point of visiting the vet, we decided she might enjoy the peacefulness of our new Pet Crematory office.

After a couple of months settling in, Precious began to really thrive. She loved to sit in the window and watch the birds and squirrels climb the trees. In the mornings, she would lay on her cat condo at the back sliding glass door absorbing the warm sun, and at night she would climb on top of our cabinets to sleep. Every morning she gave us a vocal greeting reminding us it was breakfast time.

Precious loved to be loved, but never picked up. If you ever visited our office, I’m sure you were greeted by her sympathetic nature. She was eager to jump on the counter and rub against you to try and make you feel better. Client’s called her our therapy kitty and we agreed she had found her calling. She helped kids and adults alike through their grieving process. If she thought you needed a laugh, she would turn and put her butt in your face while you reached to pet her head. She loved all who entered our office.

In the last few years, Precious began growing a mass on her lip/nose. Her amazing medical team removed the mass much to her displeasure, but before long, it began growing back. The face is a very difficult place to operate on, so we chose to take it one day at a time and allow Precious to live out her best life the best we could.

Precious continued her normal routines as the growth continued to grow in size. She was skinny, but she ate 3 small cans of cat food each day and had a healthy appetite. She didn’t miss a beat greeting clients. Her love was strong!

On Monday, February 17, 2025, the growth on Precious’s face ruptured. I always said when she told us it was “time” we would make the hard decision to help our friend suffer no more. Without going into detail, I will just say that she indeed told us that morning, it was time and we listened.

Precious is preceded in death by her twin brother and our beloved Butter’s who passed away in September. A picture of Precious sitting at the desk will forever be displayed in our office to remind us of the love and compassion she provided to all who knew her. Rest in peace sweet girl.

02/20/2025

This is the road in front of our home and office as of this morning. Do NOT come to our office without calling to check conditions. MODOT hasn’t made progress on cleaning like they have the main roads!

01/04/2025

Please understand that if we really get this snow or ice, our driveway will be impassable for days. Do NOT try it thinking you can make it with 4 X 4. The fact that you have to go up hill while turning a corner coming both in and out of our drive means even the tow truck coming to save you can get stuck (speaking from past experiences). Our drive is also shaded meaning the road and neighbors drive may be clear but ours is still solid ice because what thawing it does do will refreeze at night.

Call in advance to check conditions and have a contingency plan in place should it take a few days before we can assist. 🙏

09/18/2024

In Remembrance of Buttercup AKA Butters

If you knew her, you knew she treated all acquaintances like family so we, hereby, honor our little fur baby family member with a proper obituary.

Buttercup, AKA Butters, Boo and Boo Butt passed away today at her home in the presence of her loving family.

Butters was born January 2010, a feisty little sh*t-zu, she found her way into the Hinze’s hearts after being re-homed around the age of 3.

Butters fit right in and quickly made her dominance known to her bigger siblings. She enjoyed sleeping at her mom’s feet each night, running to the office to try and steal the cat food, and kissing the cats to make sure they didn’t have any food remnants on their noses Butters morning routine included a run through the field to sniff the s**t left by the night critters who came to the pond to drink. She may have been small, but she was an avid outdoorsmen.

Like any outdoorsmen, Butters required many baths. Her second mom, groomer Lori Proffer, kept her cut short so the wet grass didn’t affect her allergies too much, and the seeds and burrs didn’t stick to her coat. Butters loved Mrs Lori and would jump in her car when she was younger ready for her spa day.

Butters seldom wanted to remain a pampered lap dog very long, but she did like to cuddle in her pink vest while sitting in the warmth of the UTV while her kids sledded up and down the hills. Butters was well traveled and also a great rv companion often riding in the dash so she didn’t miss the world passing by.

Butters served the community for 11 years as an emotional support greeter for The Hill Pet Crematory. She was the best in her field up until her final days when she struggled to hear those who entered. Age had taken almost all of her sight and her hearing and her hips were sore causing falls and vocalized discomfort.

Butters is preceded in death by her adopted brothers Tres and Murdock. Her surviving siblings include Sugar, Cowboy, Precious, Spritzen and Itty Bitty. They will miss trying to steal her special senior food each night as well as her kisses.

Special friends include Groomer Lori Proffer, her medical team at Deer Ridge, and her pet sitter Tara Kaempfer. We will never forget her “you only live once” adventurous personality.

06/05/2024

What a beautiful visitor we had this morning.

11/08/2023

ST. LOUIS — The Missouri USO therapy K-9 was named America’s Hero Dog. THe European Blue Great Dane’s name is Maverick. He took home the top prize for his inspiring work supportin…

04/12/2023

I don’t really know how to word this post. Accidents happen no matter how careful we are as pet owners and drivers. Unfortunately, we’ve seen an increase in vehicle related accidents in our office the last 10 days. Spring fever has us outside more and pets are excited to chase their noses in the warmer air. Let’s be mindful of this while driving and keep our eyes on the lookout for pets just like we do deer. My heart aches for those who have lost their fur babies and I just want to provide a little caution notice for drivers and owners in the most polite way. I have lost 2 to the road in past years. Both we’re unavoidable collisions by the drivers. I am now more aware myself. 🙏🙏🙏🙏

03/04/2023

I have a couple clients looking for a pet loss group so they can grieve with like-minded, understanding individuals. Does anyone know of such a group that meets or would anyone be interested in starting one? One of these clients mentioned she would help start a group if others would join her. Any ideas friends? I sure know it’s needed in this area. We have people ask all the time!