Commemorating Your Furry Friend - Pet Cemeteries

Pets are like members of the family.  Losing them, whether to illness, or unexpectedly, can be painful and tragic.   But what happens after the departing of your pet can be just as stressful and painful, if you don’t know what options there might be for honoring your pet’s memory.  For many, burial in a pet cemetery is a sensible and popular option.

Reasons to Choose Pet Cemeteries

Many of us form special bonds with pets.  Because of this, many owners desire to honor their pets in death in much the way humans are, as a way to commemorate our pets’ love and devotion.  Home burial, while practical can require meeting strict local ordinances and regulations mandated by the health department or local municipalities.  Pet cemeteries are an ideal alternative.  They are becoming popular in many areas.

Background About Pet Cemeteries

There are more than six hundred pet cemeteries in the United States. Pet cemeteries often operate in conjunction with other pet related businesses, such as boarding kennels, groomers, animal hospitals, and such. In some cases, human cemeteries have a portion of their burial grounds reserved for for pet burials. And still other pet cemeteries in larger cities choose to operate on a full time basis, specifically dedicated to the burial or cremation of pets.  The oldest known pet cemetery was unearthed in Green County, IL by Dr. Stewart Schrever.  The archeologist believes that the pets at that site were buried there around 6500 BC.  The oldest operating pet cemetery in the United States is the HartsdalePet Cemetery in New York, and was established in 1896.  The largest Pet Cemetery in the United States is Bide-A-Wee Home Association, also located in New York. Bide-A-Wee operates at least three animal shelters, as well as its satellite Pet Cemeteries and has over five thousand pets in one site alone.

Finding Pet Cemeteries in Your Area

Often, locating a pet cemetery is as simple as contacting local vet offices or animal shelters.  Consider also contacting local memorial gardens to see if they offer this service as well.  If they don’t operate their own pet cemeteries, they can often give suggestions or recommendations of vendors who do.  Disposition of your pet is hard in any situation, and deserves the attention of quality caregivers to insure that all of the memories you might have of your departed pet can be preserved and celebrated.