A 103-year-old Hollywood business that used to only cater to filmmakers has found a new customer base, those who want to memorialize their pets forever by having them freeze dried.
Bischoff’s, founded in 1922, is a Los Angeles Taxidermy business and, for years, has created prop animals for film studios, nature studios and museums, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In recent years, the current owners of Bischoff’s, Ace Alexander, 40, and Rey Macias, 55, have pivoted to the taxidermy of pets brought to them by mourning pet owners who want them beloved animals to stay with them even after death.
While the pair are still getting orders from filmmakers and others, some 40% of their business is now handling people’s deceased pets, generally dogs and cats, they told The Times.
“Most of our work is from television and film, for scenes where they need a silicon snake, they need a horse that needs to move [with animatronics], anything of that nature,” Alexander told KTLA. “The new clients are pet clients. We’ve been doing a lot of pets.”
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L.A.-based Bischoff’s still serves studios and museums, but says around 40% of its business is pet preservation. (KTLA) -
L.A.-based Bischoff’s still serves studios and museums, but says around 40% of its business is pet preservation. (KTLA) -
L.A.-based Bischoff’s still serves studios and museums, but says around 40% of its business is pet preservation. (KTLA) -
L.A.-based Bischoff’s still serves studios and museums, but says around 40% of its business is pet preservation. (KTLA) -
L.A.-based Bischoff’s still serves studios and museums, but says around 40% of its business is pet preservation. (KTLA) -
L.A.-based Bischoff’s still serves studios and museums, but says around 40% of its business is pet preservation. (KTLA)
The artists at Bischoff’s have also worked roosters, rodents, chameleons, rabbits and pet birds, and while most of their clientele come from Southern California, they do have loyals customers as far away as Hong Kong.
A mix of science and art, the company specializes in blending traditional taxidermy techniques with the more modern freeze-drying process. According to The Times, this allows for a more lifelike, longer lasting creation that keeps the animals’ skeletal structure in place, along with whiskers, teeth, toenails and eyelids.
The eyes, which are glass, remain one of the most important elements Alexander told The Times, saying the perfect body pose is one thing, but without the right eye treatment, the animals lack emotion and look less alive.
When a deceased pet arrives at Bischoff’s, they discuss with the client exactly how they want their beloved animal immortalized, with Alexander saying they work extremely hard to make sure the end process encapsulates exactly the pet’s personality.
He added that some people come in to pick up freeze-dried pets and immediately start bawling, while others are excited to see how beautiful they remain.
“We’re grateful that they trust us with their pets, to be quite honest, for somebody to walk and in and say, ‘Here, this is my life for 13, 14 years and then have us immortalize their pet in a respectful manner for all time, Alexander explained.
