I would cremate her. I always thought that maybe I could throw Sassys ashes into the ocean. It sounds very peacful to me. I just don't know and I really hate to think about it. :(
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I would cremate her. I always thought that maybe I could throw Sassys ashes into the ocean. It sounds very peacful to me. I just don't know and I really hate to think about it. :(
We've done both. When Rosie was killed by a car, it was so unexpected, I didn't know then that you could have animals cremated. My husband took her body to the vets the next day, and when he came back home, he told me he was having her cremated as a present to me. I was very touched by his thoughtfulness, I had a terrible time accepting her death. It just tore me up. Having her ashes has been a comfort. We had a little ceremony and put some of her ashes in the ground when we planted a blue spruce in our yard, I like that. When my 18-yr.olf cat died last fall, we buried him under the pines where he loved to sit. I'm ok with that, too. He was small and burying him didn't seem like a big deal. We would have had quite a hole if we had buried Rosie, she was 70 lbs. I'd prefer to cremate my dogs when the time comes.
I've also done both. I had a rabbit when I was younger. We buried him under a rose bush in my moms backyard. We'd let him wander around the backyard during the day and he'd been digging in that spot for a couple of days and had a huge hole (my mom wasn't happy). As bad as this sounds I think he knew it was his time and was showing us where he wanted to be buried. Sandy my RB terrier I paid for a private cremation. His ashes were returned to me in a beautiful pine box and the vet also gave me a clay paw print she'd made. I don't regret either one. In the future, I'll probably get them cremated, I've worked at a vet before and will never get the picture of the dead dogs or cats laying in the loading dock area waiting to be picked up by the humane society for mass cremation, so I definately would either bury or privately cremate.
Growing up, we always had parakeets, so all got their own little handmade wooden caskets, with all their toys. It was hard leaving them after we moved. I got a notorized certificate from my vet and the crematorium, that Cody had the seperate cremation I paid for. I've told all my relatives and friends were the ashes are and that I want to be buried with all my dogs' ashes. We didn't bury Cody because we have somany critters, I just didn't want him to be a main meal. (sorry). It is a sad subject, but part of the circle of life.
We buried Retread the day he died, when I was 9 years old. I remember asking my mom about a week later, if we moved, would we be able to take him with us? When she said no I started crying. My mom told me a few years later that she didn't know cremation was available with pets. Needless to say, when Buttons died we had him cremated. He is in our cabinet where all our special things go, which we don't have much of. To me it's comforting that I always have him with me. I still have his collars and stuff like that, which are more important to me because I can still hold them, and until a few months ago they still smelled like him, but I guess his ashes provide a sense of closure.
You know as sad as this thread can be I really like hearing each of your thoughts about it and why you'd like to have it done a certain way.
It definitely is a personal thing.
Carmen, are you getting Beenie & Frankie turned into gems?Quote:
Originally Posted by beeniesmom
I saw that before & it really is beautiful, I'd love to get something like that done but I can not afford it.
My dogs will all be cremated. This way I can keep their ashes & dispose of them when the proper place & time comes along.
Actually I'd prefer to bury them, but only if I had the land and a permenent house that I knew I would live in forever but I don't see that happening in the near future.
Sue, I'd love to do something like that but do not know if I can afford it either.
HOPEFULLY, it will be a VERY long time from now. Beenie is 2 yrs old and Frankie is 10 months.
I want to cremate my Georgia Girl, we'll probubly bury Buddy, and we will most definetly cremate Alaska. I hate thinking about them passing away though :(
I have three of my past loved ones buried in the woods behind our house. I even have crosses on the head of their graves. The summer before last I had problems with neighborhood kids making ATV trails all over the woods. They didn't run over the graves but they made a loop around them. It disturbed me to the point that I went down and asked them to either move their trail away from the graves or I would post the property private so they couldn't use our woods anymore. :( Fortunately they moved the trail away from the graves without a major hassle.
All this got me thinking though. I may not always be there to preserve their final resting spot. While I know it is just their carcass and that their spirit is in heaven (yes I believe dogs have a spirit), it is still a sacred spot!
My present and future dogs will all be cremated and so will I. My will requests we all be scattered in various spots we loved along lifes journey together. It means a lot to me to know that our ashes will always be united as well as our spirits in the end. I also think it will be a meaningful journey for the loved ones I leave behind (humans) to revisit my favorite places on earth while they fulfill my request of places to be scattered. I guess in summary.... In ashes or spirit I never want to be seperated for eternity from my fur kids!
What are your plans when your time is up? If you want to be cremated you could have your pet ashes blended with yours and then buried. That way you'd all be together for all of eternity.
I don't know, like I said though, being left out for "sacred" jackals or something seems like the most honorable way to be exposed of.Quote:
Originally Posted by labmomma
As much as I'd like to bury mine, it would be really hard here. We don't have dirt, we've got clay and when there's been little rain that clay is more like rock. To dig down 4 feet or more, I'd have to hire somebody and since it's not legal to bury a pet in your backyard, that rules out that option.
So when Maddie passed away, I had her cremated. She's in an urn, sitting on the fireplace mantel. I have a plan to spread her ashes over the bluebonnets in the spring, but so far I haven't felt ready to do it yet. Maybe this year or maybe I'll wait until it's Murph's time and they can be reunited in the bluebonnets together.
Par...
I always hoped that I ever had a house in the country, I would have a little pet cemetary and bury all my pets there. No house in the country so I had my 2 cats cremated (about 15 years ago - ashes are at my Mom's house) and would probably do that for my current 2 cats and my dog.
My Mom & I have a deal that who ever dies first, we will have the current cremated cats buried with one of us.
I think if Fenway were to die though and I had him cremated, I would take his ashes all over NH (to his favorite hiking spots) and spread them there.
P.S. This may sound weird but did you ever see the movie Poltergiest? Remember when the little girl's bird died (I think it was a bird - can't remember). Well they buried it in a box and she put a picture of the family in the box and said "this is for when he's lonely", she put some food in the box and said "this is for when he's hungry" and then she put a little blanket in the box and said "this if for when he' cold". That's always stayed with me to this day and I thought if I were to bury my pets, I would do the same thing.
agreed! i'm happy to see that no one is arguing. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by anna_66
when other pets such as cats, birds, rodents, etc die i bury them in the back corner of the yard. unfortinatly when i was younger i didn't know about cremation. my family's favorite dog, Porkie, died a few years ago when we lived in Terre Haute, IN. he's buried in the backyard at our old house. :( i wish i could go back and get him cremated. he was such a great dog.
i LOVE that turning your dog into a gem thing. not sure if i'd be able to afford it, but it would be VERY nice to have. i would love to have Gracie losest to my heart.
Burying, and likely planting something over the top of them. It seems the most 'natural' reasonable method to me, and I would feel like the plant had a little bit of their spirit in it, and would look at it as a living memorial.
Joyce I guess my thoughts are more along the lines of yours. All of my dogs have been cremated and I don't have any of their ashes. Burying them, especially in my back yard, would be impossible. It is dense with trees so thick tree roots are under everything. I have even had trouble finding spots to dig to plant flower bulbs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ginger's Mom
My thinking is that they are not there any more anyway. This is exactly how I feel about a human's passing. They are in a better place and I want to cherish their memories in pictures and thoughts of happier times. Of course this is only my opinion and I respect everyone else's thoughts on this too.
Only one cat was buried in our garden, many many years ago. The rest of our animals have all been cremated and left at the vet. We remember them as they were and don't need their ashes as a reminder. That's the way I want to go as well, but not left at the vet :p My husband and brother-in-law went to cremate their mother, they found that a very moving experience, but I'm sure not many would go there!
I recently had to have my rabbit Hunny PTS, I chose to have him buried, the vets offered the service, and he went to a pet cemetary. My cat and step fatherīs dog are buried side by side in the garden, which is horrible considering they hated each other in real life.
The dogs will be cremated.
Oliver I am not too sure about. As horrible as this sounds, I am just not as attached to him as I am to the dogs, or my past cats. He is very aloof and likes to be close in the same room as me, but not too close.
I kind of remember that, but that's exactly what we did when we buried Keisha. She was wrapped in her favorite blanket, and laid her down on her favorite rug. I put her leash in with her because she loved to go for walks, a treat because my girl loved her treats and then I put in the letter that I had wrote for her...her eulogy I guess you'd call it. I read it before I put it in with her.Quote:
Originally Posted by elizabethann
That Is So Sweet Anna.
very touchy one.
for me, dogs and cats - cremation and smaller animals - burial.
I just buried my latest rat, buttons in first new york yard I lived at, under a lilac tree so buttons can bloom soon and everyear. just there is more natural for me because he came to new york with me. and many more (fishes too) at mother's (california) yard. in my life, I've had my (three) cats cremated, their second favorite toy too into a small box. then that small box into photo urn/box and their first favorite toy are in other special (childhood) box with old harnesses, their first collar/tag(s), and a poem for each. I also have an old stonemade roundy-box (gift from italy) and I pick a flat-stone (from a cove) in honor after each, write their name on each of it with silver/white gel pen, all of them - all pets I've had in my life - about over 20 stones altogether now. all they travel with me, part of me forever! I'd feel distant and bad if I left one important thing somewhere.
now I'm getting better at smiling at their photo boxes, smiling recalls of good things and know they're still around close. :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by anna_66
Anna, I think the ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife and had
burial customs just like that too. :)
Creamation. Like Kay said earlier, if I move, I want them to go with me. I cremated my cat Maximus, a single cremation meaning him only, no other pets, more expensive but worth it to have my guy back and only him. I plan to spread some of his ashes this year, in September, near his little butterfly bush where he would sit and watch the butterflies.
My mother actually had her cat of 20 years cremated and her wishes are too have him be placed with her when it is her time too pass i think it is a great idea for her ,but when i lost bandit i burried him in my back garden,when he was around he always went back there and ate all my flocks and that is were he is...best place for him he is with the flowers he loved!!!!
That's exactly what I've decided to do! I know I'll have a lot of dogs through out my life though... that's A LOT of ashes! :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Glacier