[AMKC]

So I was watching a show this morning an American show and one of the lads cat had died. So he decided to hold a big funeral for It. What do you think of this? I thought it was over the top myself but then I have heard of people marrying there pets too which is even crazier.

[anewme]

We buried the dog in the back garden as a family.. Had him 18 years. Had him from when I was 8 till 26 so very much a part of my life. No shame in it. Whatever gets you through. RIP our Dukie, the best dog.

[An Ri rua]

We did the same. For a dog of 12 years and a cat of 15. Stood over their graves, after I'd dug at least 3ft deep, out of respect to their poor bones, and we said our goodbyes.
The cat's death in particular, went very hard on my elderly parents. Their daily companion, gone.
It's a heavy load, when a longtime pet dies. End of an era in a family. So to each their own. People are having services partly because they're being offered, because burying your pet out back is not seen as the done thing any more. To hell with that. All our pets are safe as houses on our ground. For my lifetime anyway.
I'd still mark their anniversaries and sit out and have a smoke with them. Or a few silent minutes. They bring a huge amount of joy in our lives, our comical little furry friends. The full range of emotions actually. Including exasperation!!!
Who knows what lies ahead. But to each their own.

[Cerveza]

Always dig a good grave and give the dog a goodbye. No funeral per se.

[Capt'n Midnight]

Virgil (15 October 70 BC – 21 September 19 BC) had a pet fly, and when the insect died, Virgil spent 800,000 sesterces—nearly all of his net worth—for an extravagant funeral. Celebrities swarmed the poet’s home. Professional mourners wailed. An orchestra performed a lament. Virgil drafted verses to celebrate the fly’s memory. After the service, the fly’s body was ceremoniously deposited in a mausoleum the poet had built on his estate.




Spoiler: In case you didn't guess it was part a property tax avoidance scheme.

[Odeta]

The garden in the family home has graves of much loved pets. They are marked by different plants reflecting the pets personality ... Diarmuid Gavin would not be impressed! When I’m coming back up the avenue after a walk, they still, after all these years evoke a flood of happy memories.

[Peregrinus]

Originally Posted by An Ri rua

We did the same. For a dog of 12 years and a cat of 15. Stood over their graves, after I'd dug at least 3ft deep, out of respect to their poor bones, and we said our goodbyes.

The carcass of your deceased pet is, I'm sorry to have to tell you, an "animal by-product", and the handling and disposal of animal by-products is strictly requlated by law, especially since the BSE outbreak. In general you can bury your pet in the garden provided there is no danger of contamination of water sources (which there mostly wouldn't be, in a suburban garden) and provided the grave is at least 1.2 m deep. 3 feet (= 91 cm) is not enough. But check first of all with your local authority that there aren't by-laws that apply locally that impose further restrictions.

[mariaalice]

Not exactly a funeral but my ex-husband buried the dog in the garden and make it a grave with a little headstone and he was as devastated as if a human had died. Never underestimate the companionship an animal provides to someone on their own.

The garden is massive maybe an acre of ground and a little stand of trees.

[Pauliedragon]

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

[...Ghost...]

Depends what you mean by big funeral. Are we talking 50+ people? An expensive coffin, sermon, graveyard and reception after? Or are we talking about some family members mourning the death of a beloved pet in a small gathering and burial?

2 of my dogs died last year within a couple of months of eachother. They were dearly loved and spent the last 4 years living at my inlaws due to an unseen child biting incident. They were buried out their back yard and silence was given for thought. It was the right way to reflect on their lives.

Apparently my hamster was buried when I was a child. I've no memory of it. It's a nice way to say goodbye and teach children a little about life and death.

[fryup]

Originally Posted by Pauliedragon

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

compost?

[El_Duderino 09]

Originally Posted by anewme

We buried the dog in the back garden as a family.. Had him 18 years. Had him from when I was 8 till 26 so very much a part of my life. No shame in it. Whatever gets you through. RIP our Dukie, the best dog.

Dukie like the Boyce’s dog in only fools and horses?

Yeah I might have a little funeral for my pet if the time arose. I wouldn’t consider that weird at all. Pets are very important to some people.

But if you expect other people to go to the funeral and be sad, then you’re being weird.

[Stephen Gawking]

Mate of mine, his wife was inconsolable when their dog died. Was like a child etc etc. She wanted it buried in the garden, fair enough. However, she wanted a headstone for the dog. Went & priced one at a local stonemasons. They thought it was a wind up & declined to do it. She lost the plot, they called the gards. She ended up getting a marble plaque in the back garden & she goes into full blown mourning mode on the dogs anniversary.

[gipi]

Originally Posted by Pauliedragon

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

I had a cat cremated about 10 years ago. The ashes were wrapped in paper, and put into a decorative wooden box (shaped like a book with a sleeping cat on top) - it sits on a sideboard in my lounge.

I was burgled a few years ago and the thieves stuck a knife or similar into the wrapped ashes to see what was inside.

[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.