Introduction

There are many misconceptions and misrepresentations about pet burial and cremation. We, the public, are usually caught ignorant and unaware about what choices we have when our pet passes on. When our furry friend suddenly dies, we are so emotional and distraught that we perhaps take the advice of professionals who might not be sensitive to our and our pet’s needs.

Mortality is a difficult subject to discuss for many of us.

When we lose a loved one or family member, our emotional vulnerability allows us to be taken advantage of by those involved in the funeral services profession. As a result, we now have consumer protection laws in every state of the Union. But even with this legislation, we continue to see examples of negligence and misdeeds. One case in point is the recent scandal at the human crematory in Georgia where a third party cremation provider was negligent in making sure that the cremation was performed properly.

The same is happening with how our pets are taken care of at the time of their death. Few would argue that our pets are considered part of our family and, when they die, we experience feelings of grief and loss as we would for any other family member. Unfortunately, there are no laws in place to protect those of us who grieve the loss of a companion animal. Since the human/companion animal bond has been recognized to be a strong emotional one, there should be the same kind of protections in place to prevent a distraught pet owner from being deceived and exploited.

In 1981, I had to make a difficult decision to euthanize my loyal companion Brandy, a Labrador retriever who was a part of our family for almost 11 years. When I finally, mustered up enough nerve to call the veterinarian and set up the appointment, I had hoped I was making the right decision.

When I arrived at the veterinary hospital for my appointment, the veterinarian told me that they would perform the euthanasia that evening after the last appointment and that they would handle the disposition of Brandy’s body for me so that I did not need to worry about taking care of it myself. In 1983, I had to make the same decision for a 3-year-old white Shepherd named Keasha who was suffering from cancer. Again, I was told that they would handle the disposition of Keasha’s body and again I said that would be fine.

In 1985, I decided to build a boarding facility for pets. I opened for business in 1987, providing boarding services for pet owners in the central Pennsylvania area. In 1992, I opened a pet cemetery and crematory. I sent a survey to 45 veterinary hospitals located within a 20-mile radius of my cemetery and cremation facility so that I could compile statistics and also make them aware of the service we were able to provide for them. I received back 35 of the 45 surveys. As I was reading through these surveys, one response hit me in the face like a sledgehammer. It was a response from the veterinarian who had euthanized Brandy and Keasha. She had written a note at the bottom of the survey that stated that what we were providing sounded like a nice service but she didn't think she would have many clients who would be interested because most of them allow her to handle the disposition of their pet's body and that she disposes of the bodies by sending them to a rendering company. Most of us know these companies as “glue factories” where dead farm animals, road kill, waste from butcher shops or any other source of animal body parts, are cooked down and sold as protein for animal feed or used as fertilizer.

I was horrified to know that this was the final end for my loyal companions. I blame myself for allowing this to happen, but at the time, I was very naive and trusting. I cannot change what happened to my pets but I can assure you this will never happen to my pets again. If it is important to you that your pet's final disposition be handled with dignity, respect and integrity, then you need to read this web site to educate yourself so this does not happen to one of YOUR beloved pets.

Please do not assume how your pet's final disposition will be handled. Ask questions and require a written and verifiable contract stating all terms and conditions for these services. This web site will give you the information and the ability to verify that the services you requested will be handled in the proper manner.

We pet owners cannot change the past but we can change how these services are provided in the future. We should demand that our companion animals be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.