EVER since opening a funeral parlour for loved pets, Paws 2 Remember, Julian Tapping has had the busiest time of his life.

"I was really taken aback by the number of bereavements I had to handle...but many people said they were not surprised when I told them this," said the former Monmouth embalmer who is now based in the Brecon Beacons but services a wide area extending into the Forest, Monmouthshire and Herefordshire.

Julian started Paws 2 Remember after 10 years in the funeral trade, and since opening on March 1 has already handled 28 funerals for bereaved pet-owners.

He has a liveried ambulance to carry the deceased animal from clients' homes or the vet surgery to his parlour where it will be carefully and lovingly prepared for burial or – more popular these days – cremation, for which he uses the pet crematorium at Newport.

"We have heard that the Government is about to make a move against people burying dead animals in their gardens, so I expect cremation to become even more popular," he said.

He even runs a 'roadside assistance' service to pick up animals killed on the roads, so that owners can keep safely out of the traffic as well as being saved from seeing their beloved pets in a sorry state. "I did have one or two people jokingly suggesting I was going round running animals down to create business!" he said.

He keeps up his Monmouth connections. "We used Chilli-pepper designs in Monmouth for the livery on our private ambulance and our caskets are made in the Monmouth area," he said.

Julian says he is passionate about providing pets with a dignified and fitting farewell, and he can be contacted via his website, http://www.paws2remember.co.uk">www.paws2remember.co.uk or by telephone on 01873 831081 "24 hours a day, 365 days a year".