Imagine a visit to relatives in the old hometown. Everything looks about the same as you remembered it; nothing has changed much at all over the years. You walk through the front door and there's old Spot still in his favorite corner of the living room. You remember the fun of romping in the backyard together when you were both younger. His eyes gaze toward the door, but there's no wag of the tail to show he remembers too. Spot died two years ago.

Losing a pet is often a traumatic and emotional experience. Most pet owners turn to burial or cremation, but to avoid that permanent separation, many are now having their pets freeze-dried by Preserv-A-Pet International.

Within hours of death, the pet is wrapped in paper and plastic, then frozen to prevent deterioration. The frozen body is then shipped to one of the company's facilities for preparation and freeze-drying. A minimum of two photographs are requested along with a description of eye-color and the desired pose.

Preserv-A-Pet installs glass eyes to replace the originals, then prepares and positions the pet prior to placing it in the freeze-drying chamber. A small bird or pet will require approximately three weeks to be fully processed; a large dog can require as much as three months. Size and positioning are determining factors in pricing, with costs running from $75 for a parakeet with wings spread, to $2500 for a 100 lb. dog.

Freeze-drying does not involve skinning the animal, as does taxidermy. Unlike other drying processes, freeze-drying does not cause shrinking or other distortion. The muscle and skeletal structure provide the shape. The freeze-drying chamber maintains a vacuum environment in which the pet is dehydrated through sublimation, a process by which frozen moisture is converted directly to a gaseous state.

Before return to its owner, the pet is groomed and chemical preservatives are applied as a protection against mildew and insects.

The old grey mare may not be what she used to be, but she'll always be what she is now.