Calgary company offers pet owners a forever keepsake of their pets

Company creates special pet mementos Pets are a beloved part of the family for many people and one company says it has a new way to memorialize them. Bill Macfarlane reports.

For many pet owners, their animals are more than just possessions; they are members of their family and one Calgary company says it has the perfect way to keep their fur babies nearby wherever they are.

GravityB is a one-of-a-kind printing service that lets owners take a giant leap beyond the standard pet photography services to create 3D-printed models of their beloved dogs.

Brian Burke, the owner of GravityB says that it took two years to make sure everything was perfect in the system he uses to create the tiny models.

“Because I’m capturing dogs and the motion of dogs, I needed to make sure that it was a fast system. So it needs to be able to capture them instantly. So if their tail is wagging, I need to capture that if they flinch, I need to capture that.”

An array of 60 cameras is used to get every angle of the pooch in the capture booth. Then, computer software is used to make the model ready to print.

Burke says that while many owners just like to have a reminder of their dogs and how important they are, others are bringing in their elderly dogs to have a keepsake made that will last long after they’re gone.

“A lot of the people who are getting in touch with us right now are bringing in their 12-year-old, 14 or 15-year-old dogs and there’s urgency to it,” Burke says. “You want to keep that dog around for as long as you can and you can’t always do that.”

The models are a lot more reasonably priced than some memorial options, with prices starting at about $150.

Burke says his business has been growing pretty steadily over the past few months and many of the owners have been happy with the results.

“So the idea to be able to get a three-dimensional, full colour, tangible representation of your dog is the thing that I find most magical,” Burke says. “The fact that it’s something you can actually pick up and you can actually hold. That’s the thing for me.”

For more information on GravityB, you can visit the company's website.

(With files from Bill Macfarlane)