My humble belief is that GOD does NOT destroy a life he created. God did not destroy Satin. Therefore blessing an animal's ashes is fine. Something would be missing if pets were not in heaven. So I believe pets live on.
One of the problems with a pet blessing is trying to find the best time to do it. Unfortunately some of our parishoners who live some distance away couldn't make 2 trips on a Sunday. That's why at least half the people who showed up were nearby residents. Maybe next year we'll try it on a Saturday and get a bigger turnout.
A brief homily on the importance of pets in our lives. A recitation of the serenity prayer of St Francis, some short prayers for the blessing, and then the blessing itself. Everyone got a St Francis holy card (this one) http://www.bridgebuilding.com/narr/mi399.html and most of the pets were given treats.
When my first Pomeranian, Poncie, died, an aunt sent me a St Francis prayer-card that depicted him holding a bird on his index finger as he fed it. The caption read, "Blessed art Thou, Lord, with all Thy creatures . . ."
It still makes tears well up in my eyes whenever I see it.
We would all do well to imitate our pet companions' total reliance and dependence on us in our relationship with God!
I think it was Rudyard Kipling who wrote: "Give your heart to a dog, watch him run after it, play with it and see it flung high up into the air, only to hit the rocks when it comes down, to be broken into many pieces . . ." (when the dog dies).