The Mirror will begin publishing obituaries of pets next month. Pet obituaries will be published weekly each Monday, with a tentative launch of July 16. "Judging from the reaction we've received over the years on stories about animals, along with the events the Mirror has sponsored, we know this area is especially passionate about their pets," said Mirror Managing Editor Neil Rudel. "We thought this would be a way to help dignify the passing of the family pet, along with bringing added readership to the Mirror." Beginning June 26, the Mirror pet obituary desk will be staffed weekly on Tuesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. by Joan Thompson, who can be reached at 946-7453.
Obituaries should be emailed to petobits@altoonamirror.com.
Pet obituaries will be published as space permits and in the order they've been received.
The cost for an obituary of 150 words or less will be $25. Obituaries between 150 and 250 words will cost $40.
More than 250 words will be $75.
Pictures will be an additional charge. One-column photos up to three inches deep cost $15. Two-column photos up to four inches deep will cost $40, and three-column photos up to six inches deep will cost $55. Photos will be run in color.
Prepayment is required before the obituaries are printed. They can be paid for in cash, with a check or by credit card. Once printed, pet obituaries will also be posted on altoonamirror.com.
Though the pet obituary desk is only open from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, obituaries can be mailed to: Pet Obits, Altoona Mirror, 301 Cayuga Ave., Altoona, PA 16602 or dropped off during business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays).
A pet obituary received via email or by hard copy will be written or edited and re-read to the person who submitted it before it's published.
The Mirror will also accept "in memoriam" remembrance advertisements through its Classified Advertising department. Those advertisements will be run on the same page as the pet obituaries, and advertising rates will apply.
To purchase a pet memoriam ad, call the Mirror Classified Advertising Department at 946-7422 or email classifieds@altoonamirror.com.
Ten percent of the proceeds from the pet obituaries and memoriams will be donated to the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society.
For more information, call Thompson at 946-7453.
