Joni Dixon opened the doors to Etched in Stone (parent company of Pets in Stone) in 2003 to offer rustic home and garden accessories. Soon, however, she discovered that many customers came to the store armed with Kleenexes—prepared for the inevitable sadness of a pet memorial purchase. A lifelong animal-lover herself, Joni was heartbroken for this unexpected market. She knew what these customers really needed was patience and understanding during the order process. Therein lies the virtue of Pets in Stone.

Today, Joni leads a compassionate team of Idaho artists and engravers — including her own children Jana Heaton and Tim Richens — in transforming locally gathered stones into the highest quality everlasting pet monuments. Pets in Stone has expanded its collections into specialty stone materials and fulfilled hundreds of unique requests.

All Pets in Stone rocks are chosen in the Snake River Valley or in Idaho & Wyoming quarries for their appealing colors, shapes and character. With each stone, the team begins a 35-step process required to create lasting memorials.

First, each stone is cleaned to remove dirt and calcium deposits. Then its shape is graphically traced to make a template. Artists use the templates to custom-design for each rock face. The art is reproduced into a durable, single-use stencil. The stone is then sandblasted beneath for up to 60 minutes, depending on the art's complexity and the rock's density. Industrial paint is applied to enhance the etched detail.

Finally, the stone is soaked in natural extracts to remove residue. A single stone can take several hours to complete, and only the highest quality products are used.