Discharges pose no health hazard, county health officer insists.

One research paper found that more than one-third of the 122 dog owners studied were closer to their dogs than to any human family member.

So when a pet dies, there is a demand for "afterlife care."

A pet crematory, which recently opened here, will serve pet owners within a 20-mile radius, according to owner Amy Kemp.

"We're basically angling for those who see their companion animals as part of the family," she said. Costs for cremation, including pickup of the body, will start at $195. The service is limited to pets up to 100 pounds.

"We will treat their companion animal the same as of it were their brother or sister."

Neighbors of ARK Pet Cremation on Walker Street don't feel as if they are being treated that well. Earlier this month, they presented a petition to City Council opposing the business, saying it does not fit with the neighborhood. They also fear it will pollute the area with odors and soot.

Mark Cundiff, the city's planning and zoning director, said the property is zoned for light industrial, as are the neighboring properties to the north, east and south.

A crematorium is a permitted use. "The area has been light industrial for as far back as we know, and the building has never been a residence," Cundiff said.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency regulates Kemp's crematory operation for all discharges, including odors and soot.

"By the time (the body) has been through the furnace at 1,700 degrees and the afterburner, probably less comes out of there than comes out of your car's tailpipe going down the street," Jim Luken, Miami County health commissioner, said of any discharges.

Luken said the ashes pose no health hazard. They legally can be scattered on private property and state waterways.

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