DI Pet Rest owner continues legacy of dignity, compassion for grieving pet parents

For 38 years, Diane Rozier has helped Lowcountry residents cope with the death of their beloved pets. Rozier owns Pet Rest Cemetery and Cremation Service of Charleston, the area’s only full-service pet cemetery and cremation provider.

 

Pet Rest serves individual clients and organizations such as Birds of Prey, Charles Towne Landing, and local animal welfare organizations.

 

In addition to dogs and cats, the company has buried or cremated birds, bears, bison, pumas, rabbits, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, flying squirrels, and iguanas.

 

Rozier said Pet Rest’s nine employees uphold the highest ethical standards to provide dignity to pet owners and their animals.

 

“We do this because we want to raise the level of respect for our four-legged friends and raise the level of service for our clientele and our veterinarians, who we work hand-in-hand with,” she said. “We want to do it the right way.” 

 

Pet Rest offers assistance seven days a week, regardless of a weekend or holiday. “We are available 365,” said Rozier. “If you’re going to serve the community, you have to be there when people need you.”

 

Rozier’s father, the late Berkeley County supervisor James Rozier, started a traditional cemetery in Moncks Corner in 1983. “While he was operating the human cemetery, people came to him and wanted a place for their pets,” she said. “So, he opened a pet cemetery, and it naturally evolved into cremation as it became more affordable and made more sense environmentally.”

 

James sold the human cemetery in 1986 and went on to serve as the county’s supervisor for 16 years, while Diane took over operations at Pet Rest Cemetery and Cremation Service.

 

“Now about 95 percent of what we do is cremations, which is a true trend for humans and pets,” she said.

 

Pet Rest offers ground burials at its Moncks Corner cemetery, several cremation options, pet keepsakes, obituaries, and tribute videos. “People like to memorialize their pets,” said Rozier. “Over the years the industry has grown to have more options as far as urns and markers, jewelry, and paw prints, and other little keepsakes.”

 

Rozier said it’s common for clients to want to spread their pet’s ashes in meaningful locations or save them in decorative urns. Some even request the ashes be placed in their caskets or mixed with their own ashes upon their death.

 

“People are really attached to their pets, and they want to do something special with their ashes,” she said. “If they move, there are a lot of transient people here; they can take the ashes with them, and that’s very important.”

 

For the past 25 years, Pet Rest has provided a monthly pet loss support group led by a professional counselor.

 

Rozier explained that many people experience grief comparable to the loss of a human family member and find it therapeutic to share their sorrow with others. “I personally feel like animals have souls,” she said. “I think we are very similar.”

 

Rozier was born and raised in the Charleston area and has lived on Daniel Island for 20 years. She is an avid tennis player at LTP and enjoys spending time with her two German shorthaired pointers. She said she appreciates the people, pets, and wildlife on the island.

 

“I love all animals – birds, cats, bats – I just love them all,” said Rozier. “I think they’re an intricate part of the quality of our lives, and they should be treated as such.”