We have choices and options available to us when the time comes for our Final Responsibility to our loved ones. Believe it or not, there are choices of firms that will provide services for the afterlife care of your pet.  You do have the right to request burial and either private or communal cremation.  These are topics most people do not like to think about until the time comes, however it is worth the time to plan ahead.  It is your final responsibility to your beloved pet.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions, lots of questions.  Ask enough questions so that you can rest assured you are going to get exactly what you want when the time comes.  Ask a veterinarian, search the Internet, or look in the yellow pages for Pet Cemeteries and/or Crematories.  Why shouldn’t we have rituals for our deceased pets?  The pet parent has the right to plan a visitation, memorial service, or funeral service specially designed for them.  Discussing this before and making selections of services and/or urns helps us feel some sense of control in a situation where we feel a great loss of control in loosing a loved one.

Many people, in fact, most people leave their pet’s body at the veterinarian’s office.  They experience a lot of stress and grief wondering about what happened to the body.  Some people do not want to ask, as they are afraid of the answer.  None of us want our loved ones to die, but we all realize it is inevitable. Most people are not aware there are options in caring for the deceased pet’s body in a respectful and dignified manner.

The best time to start is early on in your pet’s life.  Feel free to go and visit a facility to see if you like the people that work there and are comfortable with them handling the final arrangements for your best friend and beloved companion.  It is best to investigate before you actually need the services and are in an emotional state of mind.  Most people feel better and enjoy their pets even more knowing they are prepared and have trust in the facility and people who will care for their pet in their time of greatest need.  Making a prearrangement plan helps alleviate some of the stress of experiencing the grief of the loss of a loved one.  With a plan in place, all one needs to do while grieving and hurting is make a phone call, knowing their treasured companion will be handled according to their wishes.  The promise of handling their pet during this time with compassion, dignity and respect helps ease the pain of the loss.