I see where others love this place...but I never received my cat's ashes! They had them sent to the wrong address not the address I had given them and did not require that fed ex get a signature. This was their protocol all the years they have been in business. I am so sad that I don't get closure with my beloved friend. read more

I am more than impressed and tremendously comforted by the excellent and respectful service provided by this company following the loss of my 17 year old kitty, Mina. This was my first experience with pet cremation and I did not know what to expect or what questions to ask. My vet recommended Guardian Animal Aftercare and a week after she died, Mina's ashes were returned to me in a small beautiful cedar chest, with her name engraved on the top. I was a bit afraid to look inside the box, but when I did there was a blue velvet bag containing her ashes and a lovely slip of paper with a comforting message about my pet. I never anticipated such loving care as I received. I know humans who were cremated and their ashes were returned in a lousy see-though plastic bag! This company made a sad time for me much easier. They also included a tasteful condolence letter and information about pet grief counseling, if a person needed it. They really made me feel comforted and my sweet pet appreciated. The cost was under $200 for a pet under 25 pounds, with free transport from and then back to my vet's office. read more

This place doesn't even deserve one star. My cat passed away and they messed up her memorial. We ordered paw prints with fur vials and they forgot to do the fur vials. This was especially upsetting because her sister passed just the month before and we really wanted them to have a matching memorial. It was painful enough to have to lose our family member, but you can only imagine how awful it was that they messed up her memorial. I highly recommend taking your pet elsewhere! read more

We were going through a very tough time after the passing of our beloved dog Hudson and Gabriel was so kind and helpful when we needed it most. Everything was taken care of with the utmost professionalism. The box of ashes was presented so nicely and with so much respect for Hudson's memory. Gabriel we will always remember your kindness. Thank you. read more

They were very easy to work with and had a lot of options for urns and memory items. Everything was handled respectfully and in a timely manner. I do wish their website had a page with the products they carry on hand and the choices. FYI (not a fault of GAA), Google Maps does NOT take you to their address and it took me a good 20 minutes to find the building as it's very nondescript. read more

They are very respectful and do a wonderful job. They even made me a little clay plaque with my kitty's footprint. Very professional, very kind and helpful; and for horse owners, they also do whole-horse cremation, which not many aftercare places do. read more

Although the circumstances are very sad in needing this service, my cat Pepper was really suffering from terminal cancer and I just didn't want anyone to take her, so I researched online and believed others really felt comforted by the process Guardian Animal Aftercare (GAA) provided to them. Gabriel was kind when I called a day ahead and because of the timing of Pepper's euthanzasia, it was a very traffic congested drive to GAA. Gabriel stayed after closing hours to recieve my precious kitty, and he treated both my family and Pepper's body with respect. I can't tell him how much I really appreciate his kindness in that time of despair. After she was cremated I met one of the kind employees Richard who really could empathise with me (he lost a cat too) and showed a genuine concern for my loss. I would recommend them to my closest friends and family as well when the unfortunate time arises for their beloved family pet. read more

My family had to make a very quick decision to euthanize our 14-year-old dog so she would not suffer when we discovered she developed bloat. The animal hospital was very caring and helpful. They asked what option we wanted for her remains and I expected to receive a plain cedar box and plaster paw print based on what my sister received when her cat had to be euthanized at another vet. I received my dog's remains by FedEx in a very carefully packed shipping box. The cedar box was beautiful with her name inscribed on a plate on the lid. The paw print had her name stamped at the bottom with two heart stamps on either side of the paw print. It had a pink ribbon tied on through two holes at the top and came inside a beautiful sheer fabric bag. I felt that both she and my family had been treated with respect. read more

We had such a great experience with Cody. We did not make an appointment we unexpectedly called to ask about the shipping of our beloved Lucy and found out she had not yet been cremated. Cody offered for us to come see her which we had no idea we could do and we're so happy he offered this. He was very friendly and helpful and truly sympathetic to the loss of our Lucy. I honestly don't think there could be a better person for this job. Guardian Animal Aftercare prepared Lucy and put her on a bed holding flowers in her little shirt. She looked so peaceful and it was very soothing to see her looking like this. Cody said we could take however long we needed to say goodbye and we were in there for probably 20 minutes before we said we were ready. Lucy's ashes came back a couple of days later in a nice box engraved with her name and the message we wanted. Thank you for making this extremely difficult time more bearable. read more

Guardian Animal Aftercare is a fantastic company. They were so patient with me and help my pet's ashes for a significant amount of time. When I finally called to have the ashes sent to me they were extremely caring and kindly waived the fee. Completely unexpected! Knowing that my pet's ashes are in good hands has given me peace of mind. Knowing that I did not have to rush this process has been extremely helpful. Thank you Guardian!! read more

Thank you for making one of the toughest situations of my adult life, easier. Open Sundays, they were so amazing and made things very wonderful for my last moments with my sweet kitty Fia. Ill always refer friends to them in their awkward sad times. Highly recommended. read more

Our 17 year old cat recently passed at our home and in the midst of being emotional messes we realized we were going to have to make plans on where to take him. After calling and searching for a few places we found this place and after reading so many reviews I called, the woman who answered the phone was SOO kind, compassionate and sensitive to our situation and I knew immediately this is where we were going to take our kitty. Don't be fooled by the surroundings of this building, once you get inside it is very nice and everyone there was very accommodating and let us hold our kitty in a nice quiet room until we were ready for them to take him. I can't stress enough how INCREDIBLE the staff is here!!! Seriously such good and genuine people that have big hearts. The process took about two days and the prices were very very good. Only 10$ more than a vet down the street from us who ship the animal out to a second place and like I said, everyone at guardian is wayyy nicer. At guardian it's all done there at the location. I love that they have tons of options for your beloved pets ashes. We got a beautiful wooden box with our kitty's name engraved on it. I am so thankful that we found this place because in a time that is so tough they made it so much easier. Thank you soooo much Guardian read more

Guardian has cremated 3 pets for me in the past. The staff have been extremely respectful and kind (to me and my deceased pets). I know they are in good hands with Guardian. Each pet came back to me in a beautiful wooden box with their names engraved. read more

We recently lost a couple house rabbits and were unable to find an inexpensive cremation service in the Orange County area. We looked on line and luckily found Guardian Animal Aftercare. We drove 60 miles and it was well worth the trip. The office personnel were so nice and friendly. They made us feel like our rabbits were their rabbits and treated us with such kindness. I was very touched by their compassion and again, it was well worth the trip. Thank you Guardian, for making an otherwise difficult day a little easier. read more

Lori and Cody made this horrible experience a better one with their understanding and caring attitude. We lost 2 of our dogs within a month of each other and we used a different crematory for the first guy "Logan" and we did not have the best experience and I was so nervous to have to go through this again along with having the heartache of losing another one of our children. They are truely the best around! I just picked up "Cas" today from the vets office and I was so touched at how beautiful everything was! His urn that he came in is a beautiful cedar box with his name etched into a name plate and they left a beautiful note inside. They truely care, every time I called they were so kind and just made me feel like I was part of their family! They have made a customer for life! Thank you so much to all of the team of Guardian Animal Aftercare! read more

Everything went beautifully and my pet was taken care of with love before the cremation process. I would have written a glowing report of Guardian, however, I received a collection notice from Guardian a short while after I took my pet there. I was surprised they could be sending me one as I paid Gabriel in cash for the services. When I called and spoke to billing, they claimed I never paid and needed to take care of this. I later spoke to Mark and he was able to sort this mess out. Mark was also the person who so lovingly helped me on the day I said goodbye to my pet. I cannot recommend this business on conscience. I later received a corrected bill, but it said I paid with a credit card. It seems to me that the person who took my cash payment tried to take me for a ride. I was told one price originally, but when I arrived Gabriel charged me a higher price. I was so grieved at the time I didn't want to cause a scene. Now, looking back, I know he was ripping me off from the start. The corrected bill showed the lower price paid, not the amount I actually paid in cash. If you decide to use Guardian, do not deal with Gabriel (especially in cash$). Speak with Mark or someone else. This way you do not get ripped off during a vulnerable and emotional time, as I was. Gabriel is a crook, not a Guardian. read more

Never knew a place like this even existed. Thankful my friend recommended this place. To all the staff who works here all i can say is just THANK YOU. I came in on a Saturday and the girl there was just so sweet. She was very attentive and understanding with me. Being the first time i have ever gone through something like this i really appreciate her patience. She let me have some alone time with my pet and laid her with flowers. Always made sure i was ok and never rushed me to make any decisions. I'm thankful for her and to all the staff there. When i came to pick up Coco i was going through so many emotions. The same lady reassured me my Coco was treated with respect and i don't ever doubt that. I appreciate her and everyone else there. Even the guy who helped me get her out of the car was so nice. I can't recall anyone by there names but they are amazing. The ceramic paw print and the cedar urn are very lovely. Thank you to Guardian and the staff. i will 100% recommend this place to everyone and anyone. read more

This was the our first time needing this service. They were so kind and patient with me, I was a mess, and explained the process to us. They treated my beautiful dog Luna with such respect. She came home in less than a week in a beautiful cedar box. Thank you for making this experience a bit easier for me. read more

I know and trust one of the employees at Guardians, and I've yet to meet anyone with such strong respect for animals. These are exactly the kind of people you want handling something as delicate as cremating your beloved pet. The service at Guardians is incredible, they even place a flower on the animals before cremating them. It's SO important that the animals brought here are treated with as much respect and dignity as any other member of the family. The fact they are so prompt in returning your pet's ashes means so much when you are going through the mourning process. When you're grieving, it is so comforting to know at least your pet's remains are in GOOD hands. read more

Could not be more satisfied with my experience here. They treated me and my fur baby baxter with respect and sincerity.I will always recommend they're services. I felt comforted that they cared for my baxter and his aftercare, and they were very patient and kind. The price was affordable and I could not be happier with the appearance of the cedar box and paw print I received. Thank you guys! read more

We were feeling lousy about the passing of our beloved cat. Having opted not to take him to a local vet to unceremoniously dispose of his body for a fee, we considered burial, but not having our own yard made this a very dodgy proposition. Then we started looking for a pet cremation service. This was the second one we found online and everything about it was welcoming and respectful. The prices were listed, the services clearly described. They were able to set up a private cremation for the next day and made us feel good about how he would be handled. The next day we were very pleasantly helped and walked through the process by Gabriel Acosta who knew exactly how to take us through the necessary steps to say goodbye to Martsy. Without going through every step, he nailed the situation in the kindest most down-to-earth manner. We really felt that we had given Martsy the best sendoff we could. The special hardwood box for his ashes was very nice and the plaque is a perfect crowning touch. We think about this experience almost fondly. I would highly recommend this service to anyone who is thinking of having their pet cremated. It's worth the extra fee for a private cremation, even though I would completely trust them to give me the right ashes from a group cremation. They really know how to make this easy. read more

My doggie Littlebit died this past weekend. My family and I were so devasted about our loss & didn't know what to do with my doggie. We knew we wanted to keep his memory alive with us always. I searched in internet looking for pet cremations and gound Guardian Animal Aftercare. In speaking with Mark at Guardian Animal Aftercare, he made me feel so comfortable and was so caring and thoughtful that he made our decisions so easy for us to chose them. Very grateful for everything they did to ease the pain of our loss. We were able to get my doggies ashes back the same day. Thank you again for everything you did for my family! read more

Gabriel as well as the entire Guardian staff were so kind, generous, and compassionate. I must say it takes a special type of person to care about you and your loss so very much. Gabriel made sure the earn for my 23 year old cat was perfect. He went above and beyond his job to make sure I was satisfied, and Ms. Thing's memory was preserved perfectly. We are never ready to say goodbye to our loved ones, but when the time comes, You will be in helpful hands with Guardian Animal Aftercare. read more

We had our horse pass. They are a class group and dealt with it with sensitivity. I recommend

I came here to try and cremate my dog unfortunately they were closed since it is April 1st which is Easter but fortunately, I called their emergency line and they called me back within 5 mins. Alex reached out to me and although it was a holiday and it was closed but he went out of his way to help me out and came down to the location greeted me and did an exceptional job handling my deceased dog with care as well as giving me many option of what I'd like to do with my pet. This is my first review on here and I have to say you guys earned it specially Alex I appreciate what he did for me and it just goes to show you the type of workers that are in this facility they are Compassionate and caring. Thank you for helping out a grieving pet owner and I appreciate all the work you guys do during these difficult times and I will recommend this place to all my friends, family, and other pet owners. Thank you for receiving my dog "capitan" and I appreciate you Alex for going out of the way during a holiday, truly wish I could say more than just thank you. read more

Simply the most artistically,graceful, thoughtful and considerate group. After the passing of our beloved Heidi , Guardian took care of everything after we said our tearful goodbyes. The presentation and thought that was displayed with our beloved was incredible. Would recommend them to anyone and everyone who is in need. Thank you from all our hearts ! read more

Guardian Animal Aftercare made me feel at ease and comfortable. From the moment I called they put me at peace. There was no pressure they didnt take advantage of a horrible situation. They showed care and compassion. I recomend them. They are friendly and very helpful they placed his ashes in a beautiful box with his name on it. I've used Cal Pet in the past it wasn't as respectful as Guardian Animal Aftercare. read more

We used Guardian Aftercare for my beautiful dog Corky and I met a man named Gabriel who took his time with me as it was so hard for me making decisions after losing what I called my son. He was so understanding and patient and took care of some extra things that I wanted done with no problems whatsoever and he made everything much easier for me. I would highly recommend using them and especially Gabriel in the future when it comes time for my other babies. They definitely and especially Gabriel since he's the one I dealt with went above and beyond to help me and I'm so appreciative and grateful to him and to Guardian Aftercare. read more

When the sad moment comes and you have to say good bye to your best friend... the Guardian Animal Aftercare provides amazing services. They were caring and comforting. The moment was more peaceful than I could have ever imagined. Indy, my child and chihuahua of 16 years recently passed away... I (and everyone who knows me) was afraid of the day when Indy would leave me... but the kind souls at Guardian helped me through it... they even offer free grief counseling! I can't say enough kind words about this service or the people who work there... It's not an easy service to market or advertise, I was lucky my sister found them for me. I encourage you to look at their website... and call them, when you need them. read more

We cannot begin to explain what a wonderful service guardian aftercare provides. Our biggest fear from the start was that they would not treat our Avi's passing with the love, care, and respect we felt she deserved. We were blown away by the great treatment both Avi, and our family was given. You could feel that they truly understood how much she meant to us. We choose to do a private cremation, they give you a private room with a beautifully painted mural and a lighted candle. They placed her on a bed with her blanket, a pillow under her head, and with some flowers at her side. They gave us all the time we needed to mourn and they allow you to be involved in as little or as much of the process as you would like. They seemed to have a very organized system which assured us that we would get our own pets ashes which was a big concern for us as well. The standard cedar box that comes with the cremation is beautiful but there are several other boxes, urns and tokens to choose from if you want something else. They put the ashes in a velvet lined bag and they also imprint your pets paw into clay with their name and lock of hair for you to take home. Gabriel and his team are not just there running a business they have committed themselves in helping people threw the unfortunate losses to their families. We can never thank them enough for what they did for us, and what they helped us threw. Thank you Guardian Aftercare!!! read more

Guardian Animal Aftercare were simply amazing. When my first dog passed last November, I didn't think I could deal with any of it, but they made it so easy in a time of such grief. Then again, when my baby passed this past June... amazing again. I came to pick up his ashes and cried my eyes out while they unlocked the door and they were so sweet, not too sweet to make you cry harder, but for sure to not make me feel insane. I loved these guys so much, I bragged about them on Facebook. Thanks guys, you truly are so kind to all of us that have had to go through this ever so difficult thing, we do sincerely appreciate it. Although I'm sorry if you have to deal with this, an absolute recommend. read more

Our cat, Marley, was the love of our life and Guardian Animal Aftercare was there for us in a most special way after we had to have him put to sleep. He was almost 14 and had cancer and making that decision was the hardest thing I've ever done. We waited too long in making the decision with our darling Mooch, many years ago and swore we'd never do that again. Guardian was so compassionate and caring. Their presentation of Marley in the Condolance Room was precious; his little head on a pillow with flowers and candles. We will always remember him looking so peaceful. Guardian also has no qualms about showing you behind the scenes, which brought us comfort in knowing exactly how they do things and their level of ethics. We opted to do a private cremation and so waited for Marley before making the long 2 hour drive back to Rancho Santa Fe. There are people closer to San Diego, but Guardian was there for us almost 3 years ago for our wonderful dog, Baxter, so we feel a good deal of loyalty to them. They will also be there for us when the time comes for my beautiful horse to move on to greener pastures. They also offer grief counseling by the most wonderful lady, Dr. Kathleen Ayl. You can't find nicer, more loving, kind people in this industry if you travelled the world. read more

it is very difficult to lose a pet especially when they become so much a part of your family I lost my dog of 14 yrs recently guardian was recommended what a blessing they were they came to my home and picked up my dog they were so compassionate and caring and gentle with him a few days later they delivered his ashes to me in a beautiful cedar box with a gold name plate and also made me a gift of a wonderful rememberance of a paw print and a nose print done in porcelain with his name what a blessing to find such caring people read more

When my 2 1/2 baby passed unexpectedly on Thursday 3/26/15, I was beyond devastated and in complete shock. I was an emotional wreck and couldn't stop crying. My boyfriend called Guardian Angel and arranged to have my little Tyson picked up-I couldn't drive him; it was all too much to even look at him without him jumping up on me and licking my face. They came in about an hour; the carrier was very kind and understanding of my emotional state. He was gentle and placed my baby in a bag to take to GA. I opted for the Individual cremation and we were able to pick him up on Monday. When I saw how beautiful the box was with his name engraved on it, I just cried. I also got a beautiful ceramic paw print they etched his name into. The sadness of such a painful lose was made easier by everything they did to make me feel he was really taken great care of until he came back home. Thank you ~ Valerie read more

Five weeks ago I lost the closest being I'll ever have to a daughter. My 14 year old Cat who I will always adore. I had to make the most horrible decision I'll ever make as long as I live. Guardian Animal aftercare was extremely kind, very considerate and set it up for a little funeral type of event where I was able to send some things with her and talk to her then eventually walk her to the door where she went to be cremated. They made the day a little more bearable. They even had a wonderfully scraggly old orange cat to pet while waiting to get my baby cat back that same day. It was a private cremation and didn't take long at all to get her back. I got a nice little pink marble box for her and a name plate with dates and name just like a person on the plate. These people were wonderful and I can't recommend them highly enough. They helped to make the unbearable a little easier and after not sleeping for a day and a half I finally slept when I got her back. If you need this type of service, please use them. You really can trust them. read more