A Case for Memorializing Your Beloved Pet: Thinking Ahead Before the Vet’s Final Office Visit

Pets have come to mean more to people than ever before in our changing world. Scientists have dedicated time and resources to studying and proving the validity of the ways pets improve our lives, beyond the pure joy of their company. Improved health, lowered blood pressure, higher life satisfaction, life purpose and lowered stress levels are just some of the benefits enjoyed by people who love animals. People have come to understand and love their animal companions as much as any other family member; in some cases even more.
 
So it’s no surprise that when a pet dies, intense feelings of pain and angst can overwhelm even the strongest person -- man, woman and child. The innocence and simple devotion shown through true unconditional love can only truly be received through an animal. As humans, we make mistakes and just can’t live up to total, unbiased, unconditional love every single day of our lives -- as an animal can. They don’t think about it; they just do it. 

If you are among the people who have loved and lost a pet, then you understand how important it is to remember them. Remembrance, pet memorials, memorialization -- these are words heard frequently that basically mean, “to remember”. Just as we humans have learned the value of cemeteries, cremation, mausoleums, etc… in honoring a lost loved one, we also know the comfort of having a place to visit, or a ritual at home, that we can turn to in our time of sadness or despair. The idea of pet memorialization has caught on with millions of pet owners, or pet parents, over the past decades as pet cemeteries and crematories have sprung up for the very same reasons -- to never forget that they lived.
 
Any way that you memorialize your pet and is personal to you, will bring you comfort in your time of need. The important aspect is just that you do this, when you are moved to do so.
 
Euthanasia Decisions -- Where Will Your Pet’s Final Resting Place Be?
 
Do you know with 100% certainty what will happen to your dog, cat, bird, guinea pig after you’ve made the hard choice to euthanize? If not, then you’re not alone!!! Most people blindly trust their vet to take care of this for them. If you leave the room while your pet is being euthanized and let your vet handle their remains, you need to be 100% certain of where your pet is going. If you’re like most people, you may blindly trust that your pet is being well cared for in their final moments on earth, and afterwards. But were they? Do you know for sure? You must ask hard questions of even your long-time vet that you love and trust. This is your pet and you have a right to know.
 
Many people don’t understand their pet might end up in a garbage dump for eternity. Yes, it’s sad and shocking, but true. Is this what you really want? If it isn’t, then you are among those who need to take the time and set emotions aside in order to learn about these things ahead of time, even though it’s hard.
 
You may tell your veterinarian you are choosing pet cremation. If the vet has no relationship with a local pet cremation service, then take the responsibility to make the phone call ahead of time to make arrangements for your pet’s body to be picked up directly.
 
Many veterinary practices do not want to focus on the death of your pet, and rightly so -- they are in the business of making your pet well. When it comes to their death, that’s another set of skills and resources entirely. So it’s not the vet’s fault. If you understand this now -- long before your pet dies -- you will feel more comfortable when it happens. But be vigilant, and ask every hard question of your vet before you hand over your animal. Many people choose to hold their animal during euthanasia, despite the emotional difficulty. It’s a sacrifice for the pet, however, and they appreciate your comfort more than a stranger’s in their last moments. 

Memorials through Pet Cremation, Pet Cemetery or Pet Burial at Home
 
Unless you are burying your pet in a pet cemetery or in a biodegradable pet casket in your own backyard (which saves contamination and harm to environment), then Pet Cremation is one of the best choices for the disposition of your animal’s body. Why? Because it gives you many choices in the future. Here’s how:
 
While you are in the throes of shock and acute despair, the only decision you’re trying to make is what to do if 1) your pet has died at home or elsewhere, and 2) your pet will die through euthanasia. If you haven’t thought about this beforehand, you can make the wrong choice -- and it’s a permanent one.
 
If you choose cremation, the remains of your pet are returned to you. Many people feel a sense of comfort just in that fact. For some people it is emotionally healing to know that you are still the steward of their little being, even though in a different form.
 
Once you have the cremated remains, you have many memorialization options to choose from:

• have a pet funeral service with friends and family
• bury the cremated remains in a biodegradable pet casket
• purchase a personalized pet urn, to put some remains in jewelry and keep close to your heart
• create a memorial garden in your yard
• design a stone, marker or monument and create your own pet memorial at home
• keep him or her in a jewelry box with a photograph
• purchase a Pet Memorial Box and keep photos, favorite toys, a piece of fur or feathers, pawprints in clay or any keepsake from your pet

There are so many options we can’t list them all!
 
However, once the body is taken away after death from a veterinary office, you may never know for certain where your pet's final resting place is. You can still create a memorial, but you may always wonder where he or she really is resting. Memorializing with pet burial or pet cremation, no matter how simple or extravagant, will bring you peace of mind for eternity. There is comfort in knowing you did all you could to preserve your precious memories.