So lately I've been thinking about how we deal with the death of beloved pet. Don't worry, my Tzippi is still in surprisingly good health for a 13 year old blind and deaf pooch. The vet was very impressed with her at her annual check up this week :)
Unfortunately some of our close family friends had to say goodbye to their amazing dog, Pippin, last weekend and it got me thinking. What do you do when your pet dies? I don't know what I'll do when that day comes or how I'll deal with the loss. I did learn from my mother that most employers do not give you any time off to mourn a pet. That's pretty crazy, right? Okay, I could see not giving off time for a goldfish that needs to take a trip down the toilet, but a pet that has been an integral part of your family for years? That's cold.
The one and only time I had to say goodbye to a pet I was a little kid
who didn't understand my mother when she told me that my hamster had
been 'put to sleep'. I thought that meant that he needed a good night's
sleep and we would pick him up at the vet the next day. Clearly, that
was not the case.
As far as memorial options for your pet, there are few possibilities. There's the backyard burial oft portrayed in books and movies, but there are also options for cremation. As I ponder this I find myself faced with a couple of dilemmas. When one day we have to say goodbye to my beautiful pup, what would we do? I could imagine spreading her ashes in some of her favourite parks, but we're Jewish and Jews don't do cremation. Does that extend to pets? Apparently not, (and here appears dilemma number two) since it turns out that burying your pet is illegal....? Yes, according to some family friends burying your pet is illegal. What happened to the pet cemeteries of old? I think I'd need a place that I could visit to remember her or maybe that would prolong the pain and prevent me from moving on. Who knows? I did find a website for pet burial services in Victoria (petmemorialcenter.ca), so I'm a little confused about this and would love to locate more details! Maybe they just meant that you're not allowed to bury them in your backyards anymore...
Your post now makes me wonder where my childhood pets went... We moved so much when I was a kid, that there were no places to go back to. When our pets died, they went to the vet (actually, they were put down at the vet's each time). I assume that the vet's office must have taken care of the remains. But, it never occurred to me as a child that there were any other options.
ReplyDeleteOh - and yes, it's the backyard burial that's not allowed.
ReplyDelete