In her advancing years, Bretagne's sendoff included appearances on The Today Show and a farewell from firefighters in her hometown of Houston, Texas, when the time came.

People love pet stories – and accounts of Bretagne's passing were in British, French and Spanish media too – but mostly that's because they love their own pets so dearly. There is one dog in America for every four people, a total of 36 million dogs in Brazil, and high ownership rates across Europe. That makes for millions of people who mourn the loss of a furry family member whose memory they will always cherish.

That is exactly why American Tony Korman, a postman with a lifelong interest in art, first launched his pet sculpture business. When Korman lost his own dog, Buddy, he turned to his talent as a way to ease and express his loss, and created a sculpture of the dog complete with his tags and other details. That was 10 years ago, and today Korman makes the personalized aluminium and clay sculptures for others.

Korman first asks for as many photos of the pet as possible from owners seeking a personalized figurine of the dog, cat, rabbit, or, in the case of specially designed urns, even horses. Korman works directly with the grieving owners to understand how they want the pet to be remembered – sitting, standing, laying down – and then fashions the frame. He uses aluminium and wire bent to a precise form that supports a 3- to 7-inch figurine, depending on the preferred size. Next, it's time for sculpting in polymer clay around the frame, and then hours of detail work on fur color and bright eyes, or an additional toy.

Because of his own experience with Buddy, Korman's business is as much about compassion as it is creativity. "I want my clients to feel that they have had an active role in the creation of the sculptures," Korman has said, describing it as a collaboration of their vision with his hands:

Korman Studio also offers aluminium urns in the "Precious Kitty" series, as well as custom-made urns for goats, ferrets and other special-pet animals, and a wildlife series featuring squirrel and raccoon friends. Korman's pet memorials include products in wood, stone, brushed nickel, marble and other materials. Among the more high-tech options are favorite pet photos transferred to marble, using laser techniques and computers that make it possible for the quarry to engrave a pup or pet's image into a plaque.