[RubyK]

Originally Posted by Pauliedragon

Apparently cremating pets is getting very popular. Not sure what people do with the ashes.

We cremated our beloved dog, 3 years ago. Her ashes are in a decorative box in a cabinet along with her picture and her collar. Myself and my husband agreed, that whichever of us dies first, she will be put in the coffin also. Might sound crazy to some folk, but that's what we want

[Edgware]

The local takeaway restaurant can take care of funeral arrangements if you wish

[TheValeyard]

Pets like dogs n cats become part of the family. You can have them 10+ years, see them day in and day out. Nothing wrong with giving them a family send off.

[feartuath]

When I was a kid our gold fish when died was fed to the cat.
Might have been something to do with growing up on a farm in the 70's

[CB19Kevo]

Originally Posted by theguzman

There is far too much humanisation of animals these days. I find it abhorrent that people would get so upset and mourn for weeks for a dog.

You are entitled to your opinion but for me pets are part of the family and the loss of a much loved pet can be a very challenging time!!

[Cerveza]

Poor Mary ended up in the dyson.

[bb1234567]

Why would you not ?
A little dote who stayed by your side your whole life and devoted their entire love to you , should be appreciated with a funeral like any human. My family will definitely have some kind of event and nice words to say for our dog as a formal goodbye when her time comes.

[bb1234567]

Originally Posted by theguzman

There is far too much humanisation of animals these days. I find it abhorrent that people would get so upset and mourn for weeks for a dog.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have close friends or family around them especially in old age and animals can fill that gap very well and provide immense comfort to people who are lonely (but also even to many who aren't , of course). I think it is such a weird thing to find abhorrent tbh.

[Ave Sodalis]

Originally Posted by Pauliedragon

Apparently cremating pets is getting very popular. Not sure what people do with the ashes.

I have my dog's in a walnut box in the sitting room with his collar on top. That way if I move, he can come with.

Originally Posted by theguzman

There is far too much humanisation of animals these days. I find it abhorrent that people would get so upset and mourn for weeks for a dog.

Yeah, my last dog saved my life. He provided more companionship and support than any human could come close to claiming. He helped me through some very dark days, days that were caused by people. Even now, having had a horrendously sh*t week, I took his box of ashes to bed with me. Forget weeks, I'll probably never fully stop mourning that dog.
I never "humanise" my animals. They're animals and get treated as such. That doesn't mean they don't mean more to me than majority of people. I'm not sure how you could spend almost every day with a pet for the guts of a decade, and not get upset when it passes.

[AMKC]

I have no problem with someone burying the own pet in there backward and saying there good byes. I too have done that. It is hiring a funeral home or a reception and having the dead pet on display as you remember it that is taking it a bit far next think you know they will be in a coffin in the middle and people will be expected to kiss them lol.

[Baggly]

One of our kittens was hit by a car at the weekend. He was only 6 months but we had him from birth.

I will admit i was absolutely gutted (and still am). He was such a lovely dope of a cat; and his sister, my kids & my wife are all a bit lost without him.

I found him Sunday morning so brought him home and we buried him at the top of the back garden. I ordered a lovely tree we will plant behind where he is buried - and the my kids were up the garden today to say prayers and have some chats with him.

I wouldnt really be religious, so no funeral per se, but it was helpful and nice to bury him close to home and to have something to remember him by.

[Peregrinus]

Originally Posted by Baggly

I found him Sunday morning so brought him home and we buried him at the top of the back garden. I ordered a lovely tree we will plant behind where he is buried . . .

You can grow a good rose on a dead cat. Just sayin'.

[Baggly]

Originally Posted by Peregrinus

You can grow a good rose on a dead cat. Just sayin'.

I spent the summer clearing brambles from that area so not keep to plant more thorny plants

[taxAHcruel]

Originally Posted by AMKC

It is hiring a funeral home or a reception and having the dead pet on display as you remember it that is taking it a bit far

I guess most things are not "too far" if it is what gets the people involved through. Funerals are for the living not the dead after all. They give closure and solace and community and so forth to the living. The dead likely do not care a jot unless some of the more seemingly nonsense notions people have about life after death turn out to be true.

I for example live with a creature I imported - at some legal risk - from the US. It is an animal that simply can not be left alone like many people would a cat or dog. So it has pretty much been my 100% constant companion at home and at work for over a decade. When he dies - a part of me will too. And I have my own ideas and plans on the closure I am going to need when that occurs.

So if an open casket in a home followed by a coffin burial is actually what some people want/need then that's fine. I can see no problem with that - let alone to the point I would use an emotive word like "abhorrent". A word chosen probably just to get a reaction I suspect.

What worries me sometimes though - with people as well as pets - is whether most people actually do need any of that. Or have we successfully been advertised and sold the narrative that that is the closure we need by an industry that is - lets face it - far from cheap and probably quite profitable. Closure could be quite individual - so I am suspicious of a one size fits all pre-packaged closure.

I am all for people getting the closure they need. I am paranoid that industry has manged to too heavily influence peoples narratives on what it is they think they need though.

[seamus]

Originally Posted by Pauliedragon

Apparently cremating pets is getting very popular. Not sure what people do with the ashes.

We have the ashes of our dog sitting in a wardrobe because it's just been too mental a year to figure out what we want to do long-term.

We don't expect to stay in our current house forever so we don't want to bury her in the garden. We might scatter all or some of it in her favourites places, and we might stick her on a shelf in the kitchen.

I would generally consider expensive funerals for people to be ostentatious anyway, so I would roll my eyes at the same done for a pet. But ultimately there's no right or wrong way to grieve. Whatever you need to do to help you get through it.