YRSTRY, pronounced “Your Story,” a custom album-making company, was started by Darla Read earlier in 2020.
Originally it chronicled the birth and new lives of children.
However, following the death of her cat Jeremy, she decided to create a memorial album for her cat, a service she now offers to the public.
“Jeremy, our cat that we lost in May, was very special in that when I was pregnant, he would always curl up beside my belly,” Read said.
Even before her six-year-old son Cub was born, an instant and inseparable bond had been created between he and Jeremy.
Read’s “Jeremy Album” left both her and Cub with a physical way to remember their feline, which has been therapeutic for both of them.
“It’s just nice, too,” Read said. “Well, it’s also painful, it makes me cry looking at it. But it’s a way to keep the memory alive, to look back on the good times.”
Jeremy was an adopted pet, just like all of the animals in Read’s life. It was that passion that led her to reach out to New Hope Dog Rescue to offer a partnership based on donations.
For every pet album purchased, YRSTRY will donate $20 to the Saskatoon-based dog adoption and fostering service.
“We rely 100 per cent on donations,” New Hope fundraising coordinator Tricia McAuley said. “We don’t receive any funding, we’re predominantly volunteer-run as well.”
“I think rescues do incredibly important work,” Read added. “It was kind of a no-brainer to partner with them.”