Pet cemeteries There are more than 200 pet cemeteries in the U.S. today, with a location in just about every state. Most are privately owned (Martin, 2022). Many pet cemeteries offer full burial and cremation services, typically picking up the pet from the family’s home or a veterinarian’s office. Some pet cemeteries and humane shelters offer communal burials, which means that multiple animals are buried in a common location. Private pet burial in a pet cemetery typically means a traditional burial, where the pet’s body is placed into an air- and/or watertight casket, or in case of a green burial, a biodegradable casket. This is followed by internment in a private grave at a deed-restricted pet cemetery where the family has visitation rights. Burial in a pet cemetery can be very comforting for the pet owner, as it ensures that the Pet funerals and memorials Pet funerals are becoming more common, with some cemeteries offering multiple or tiered burials, where a number of cremated pets or multiple burials are placed in a single grave. Funeral and memorial providers offer burial and cremation services, and provide caskets, urns, and grave markers designed specifically for pets. Like a human funeral home, a pet funeral facility may include a viewing room, an arrangement room, a reception area, and a room with merchandise. If desired, pet loss specialists can provide information geared to parents and children to help them discuss death. Often a child’s first loss is a pet. This type of information is very helpful but must be geared to the appropriate age group. Coexisting services Given the novelty, in some areas, some traditional funeral directors may feel uncomfortable about conducting or arranging pet services. Concurrently, there is a concern that it will jeopardize human services by alienating current clientele. Some studies suggest that those who decide to attend to both human and nonhuman aftercare may find it beneficial to position these businesses as two separate entities in clearly distinct facilities. This makes practical sense, as each facility requires different sizes of retort and caskets, as well as different keepsake items. In some cases, this is a legal requirement. The state of Florida, for example, does not allow a pet retort to be located within the same facility as a human retort. Combined human and pet burial grounds Some pet owners would like to be buried with their pets. In England, a small number of cemeteries are providing sections where people and pets can be buried together. This practice is just beginning in the U.S., but this type of burial arrangement is prohibited in many states. Policies are changing in response to the demand, and some new laws facilitate placing humans and pet remains together. Florida residents who want to be buried with their dog, cat, parrot, or other pet, for example, may do so under a law created in 2007 informally called the Felix and Fido Amendment that allows people to be buried with the ashes of their pet as long as the animal’s cremains are in a separate container.
pet’s remains will be cared for, and there is no need to worry about what will happen if the family moves. Increasingly, pet owners are making formal funeral and memorial service arrangements for their departed pets. Family members may purchase a plot, casket, and grave marker in a preplanning counseling session, just as one would for a family member. Full-service pet cemeteries can usually provide any type of memorial desired, with much the same products and services found in people cemeteries, with a variety of services and products ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars. Best practices suggest that cemeteries should always provide pet owners with a copy of their burial contract, that is, a detailed list of information regarding the terms and conditions for burying the pet in that particular cemetery. There are many beautiful ways to commemorate pets. Both home and cemetery burial provide an opportunity to create a permanent memorial to one’s pet using a grave marker, statue, or perhaps a tree planted over the pet’s grave to serve as a living memorial. Pet funeral products can include: ● Music. ● Floral arrangements. ● Urns. ● Caskets. ● Grave markers. ● Video tribute/slide show. ● Stationary/memorial notices. ● Keepsakes. ● Garden memorials. ● Cards. In some cases, however, human and pet services coexist successfully. Certainly, more people are requesting to be buried or cremated with a companion animal, and because so many senior citizens own pets and may have a need for pet cremation services, industry professionals have wondered if they should attempt to combine human and pet services in one facility or keep them distinct. Since there are no clear statistics, it is best to follow community standards and practices regarding decisions about comingling services. Current trends suggest there need be no stigma associated with pet services if the services and products are handled ethically and professionally, and clients’ emotional needs are met. According to Elderlaw (2022), “Most states either have laws specifically prohibiting pets and humans to be buried together or are silent on the issue. But a growing number of states are adopting laws allowing some form of combined burial.” At least four states have laws allowing some form of combined burial, and the list will undoubtedly grow as demand increases. New York and New Jersey allow cremated human remains to be buried with a pet, but only in a pet cemetery. Since 2006, Pennsylvania has allowed cemeteries to have three sections, one for humans, one for pets, and an area for both. Virginia passed a law in 2014 permitting cemeteries to have clearly marked sections where pets and humans may be buried alongside one another. However, the pet must have been a companion animal under Virginia law and must have its own casket (Elderlaw, 2022).
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