What started out as a typical funeral home business for Mike Heflebower has expanded into a family operation to provide family pets with an equal amount of love and care. 

“They become our family until they go home to their family,” said general manager and director of operations Logan Heflebower. “They’re not just a number, it’s family… two legs, four legs, paws, claws, tails.”

Mike opened Heflebower Funeral and Cremation Services in Highlands Ranch in 2013. For years Mike said people would ask him if they would also take care of their pets. 

In 2020, A Paws is Time, a full-service pet memorial and cremation business was created. 

“We are the only funeral home company in Colorado that offers pet cremations,” Mike said.

Now, more than 35 years of experience in the funeral industry is being passed on to his sons Logan and Nate, just in pet form. 

“I was like ‘I’ll never do dads job and here we are doing the pet version of it,” said Logan. 

While pursuing his degree in health management, eldest son Logan started managing the pet side of the funeral home and realized that he was good at the job and decided to make it full time. 

Nate went to school for sports communication and with a fascination in social media management, he will be running the marketing side of the business. 

The family’s goal was to make the process as comforting as possible and not make it feel like a vet. 

“We make it very simple for them and allow them to actually spend time with the pet and have all the time they need with no rush,” said Nate. 

When a family pet passes away, A Paws in Time will meet the family at the front door with a portable bed to lay their pet. The family and pet are then welcomed into a family room where the simple paperwork is explained.   

Understanding that losing a pet can be difficult and sometimes unpredictable, Logan is also available 24/7 and is available to pick pets up at home. 

A Paws in Time provides cremation services as well as taking care of the little mementos that families wish to have, such as paw prints. 

“Every pet has their quirks,” said Logan. “I tell everybody that comes in here, my dog is left-handed, he always shakes with his left paw and that would be a memory I would want tied to this process.”

In addition to selecting the perfect urn, A Paws in Time works with Seven Stones Botanic Cemetery in Littleton to allow families to have the opportunity to have a memorial service for their loved one. 

A Paws in Time takes care of all pets except livestock. They have taken care of hamsters, lizards, ferrets, even a goldfish and a 40-pound python. Logan said that they also work with the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance to take care of the wildlife rescue’s that don’t make it. 

“The really important part is, if I got home and realized my dog was gone, who am I gonna want to talk to?” said Logan. “And if I can be the person that I’m gonna want to talk to when I just lost my best friend, that’s it.”