Pet Burials
Source: the blowup on Unsplash
Owners pay to be buried with their pets
Growing numbers of pet owners are seeking burials with their favourite domestic animals.
From Egyptian pharaohs to Anglo-Saxon warriors, humans have been buried alongside their most sacred or treasured animals.Now the practice is making a comeback with an increasing number of pet owners seeking burials with their favourite cats, dogs and horses.
Planners in Lincolnshire last week approved the latest in a series of joint animal and human cemeteries where masters can be interred close to their beloved companions rather than being cremated.
A handful of joint cemeteries even allow pets and owners to be buried in the same plot.
The trend has been accelerated by the growth in non-denominational 'natural' sites for humans that use biodegradable coffins and often have woodland settings without rigid lines of plots or fixed headstones; such layouts make it easier to add pets.
Penny Lally, who runs a pet crematorium, cemetery and 'woodland burial place' in Penwith, west Cornwall, has laid to rest more than 30 owners alongside their animals since she began allowing joint graves in 2003 and has more than 120 forward bookings.
Among her best customers is animal lover Carole Mundy, 54, who has reserved a plot for herself and her husband Robert right next to their 17-year-old golden retriever, Dylan, who was buried there in February 2008.
She has also pre-booked a nearby space for Merlin, her Irish thoroughbred.
"As well as being the best dog in the world, Dylan was a fantastic friend and I don't see why he shouldn't have the same resting place as me," she explained.
"Nothing makes me more angry than people saying 'it is only a dog'. Animals give you unconditional love, they don't reprimand or judge you.
"We are always taking in more. Merlin was rescued from Romania where he had been terribly mistreated."
The human resources consultant, from south-east Cornwall, has spent £2,800 on the plot for Dylan, herself and husband Robert and £650 on reserving space for Merlin.
Her other dogs Sir Lancelot, Queen Guinevere and Sir Galahad are also expected to find themselves in the same cemetery.
"All the burials will take place in a wicker casket. I never wanted to be cremated and when you look at the cost of a conventional funeral it isn't a great deal different," she added.
"Some think you're screwy but they need to realise what a difference animals can make to people's lives."
Wendy Pratt, manager of the Tarn Moor Memorial Woodland 'natural' burial suite near Skipton, North Yorkshire, said one woman was interred in the joint pet and owner area because "she just liked cats".
"There has been more interest in joint burials recently because people are starting to realise it is possible," she said.
An estimated 1.5 million dogs and cats die every year, according to the Association of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria.
Some 300,000 are buried in the garden, 1,000 in pet cemeteries, 100,000 are individually cremated and the rest incinerated as clinical waste.
Unlike human cemeteries, Britain's 19 pet burial sites require regular inspection by the Environment Agency acting on behalf of the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs.
Only a handful of those offer joint burials, the first of which began in Rossendale in Lancashire in 1995.
Cremation is a cheaper option, usually costing between £75 and £200 including the urn, and makes it easier for owners to be buried with their pet as no extra ground plot is required.
Elaine Pendlebury, a veterinary surgeon with animal charity PDSA, said: "It is something that wouldn't have been considered 30 or 40 years ago but we are hearing of more occasions where owners want to be buried with their pet.
"For many, the grieving process for a pet is no different to losing a member of the family, particularly given that pets bring such a structure and routine to people's lives and company for older people on their own."
She added that bereaved pet owners could, for a suggested donation of £25, have a special tag displayed in the charity's Paws Forever Pet Tribute Garden in Ilford, east London.
The pharaohs of ancient Egypt thought nothing of being buried alongside mummified cats, monkeys and birds because they believed animals shared an afterlife with humans.
Anglo-Saxon nobles were usually interred with their possessions, and warriors with their horses. A 1991 excavation at Sutton Hoo found a grave pit containing a young man and a stallion.
The practice fell out of favour as the rise of Christianity saw pet rituals attributed to paganism, although the 19th century saw the creation of a pet cemetery in London's Hyde Park complete with tombstones.
"The exemplary fidelity of the dog triumphed, in Victorian sentimental culture, even over death," said Dr Philip Howell, a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, who is an expert on Victorians and their pets.
He said Lord Byron had asked to be buried with his Newfoundland dog, called Boatswain, at Newstead Abbey but this never *came about.
The romantic poet wrote Epitaph to a Dog for the animal,which died of rabies in 1808.
The most notable example is that of Greyfriars Bobby, the faithful terrier that kept constant watch over his master's grave in the yard of Greyfriars Kirk for 14 years.
When Bobby died in 1872 he could not be buried within the cemetery itself, since it was regarded as "consecrated" ground, and was instead laid to rest just inside the gate of Greyfriars Kirkyard, not far from his owner John Gray's grave.
Source: Telegraph
My dog, Judy, died just under 3 years ago. She had a wonderful life and lived to a good old age - 17 and a half years. She meant a lot to my parents and me, and her death left a great void. I still think a lot about her. Time helps of course but you never really get over it completely.
We have buried our pets that have died in our garden but there isn't much space now. We couldn't bury Judy in the local pet cemetery; there was no more space there either. So we were left with no alternative but to cremate her.
Her ashes are in a wooden box inscribed with her name. I would love to have her buried with me one day.
What do you think of the idea to have your pet buried with you?
Read this story related to burials.
Phrasal Verbs:
*come about to happen, or start to happen
- How did your idea to create this organisation come about?
- How did the problem come about in the first place?
"He was only a cat"
— Historygirl (@janeyellene) September 17, 2022
A poignant gravestone to Dewey.
In Pine Ridge Pet Cemetery, Dedam, Norfolk County Massachusetts. #caturday pic.twitter.com/LIBguTDQad
Comments
Wow - it's taken me a full week to get round to replying to you. Keep on writing comments, I will answer them all eventually.
I guess this practice came about because people started asking to be buried close to their pets. I can understand this kind of feeling; after having a pet for a long time is quite a normal feeling as they are part of your family, and you worry about their well-being. But it is just something that people with resources can afford to think about the wellness of their pets, because they already have all their basics needs. If you have to think about what you eat tomorrow, you don’t have problems about where you are going to be buried, or even your pet. Although I don’t mean it's not important to take care of pets or animals, I think it's important to be aware of animal welfare in all aspects, but there are other aspects which are more important than being buried close to your pet.