No one looks forward to losing their pet. Unfortunately, having one means signing up for the possibility of such eventuality someday. Our Washington, DC cemetery provides a befitting place to honor your beloved among the most distinguished when this happens.
The pet section, or Kingdom of Animals as we call it, is a relatively new part of our historic cemetery, the first of its kind in the District. We offer sites for the inurnment of cremated remains of all types of pets – from the furry to the scaly.
Your pets can rest in the company of up to 20 others who are just as loved. E.g., your other animal companions or their friends when their time comes. With customizable monuments and space for a ceremony to boot, it doesn’t get any more dignified than this.
You could very well decide to have a home burial, though this is subject to legal restrictions. Burying a domestic pet at home particularly has the advantage of a natural transition. Your family will always have somewhere close to visit at any time and be reminded of them. Not to mention it can save you some burial costs in the short term.
Unfortunately, the logistics may not be worth it in the end. For one, maintaining the burial site will always be on you. You also run the risk of contaminating the ground or having other pets dig up the buried remains, which can be extremely harmful to them.
If the grave isn’t deep enough, environmental events such as flooding may also cause it to resurface. This poses a hazard to everything around, from the air and water to humans. A way to avoid some of these risks might be to have your pet cremated first before burying the remains on residential property.
Alternatively, you could memorialize your pet some other way, like scattering the ashes or keeping them permanently in an urn at home. Some people elect to donate their pet’s body to further scientific research. This is a noble endeavor, but one has to consider how it affects their options going forward.
Posthumous organ donation automatically makes cremation the only option for the rest of the body, often without a guarantee of getting the ashes back. Whole-body donation means no remains to bury or cremate.
Ultimately, as burials go, the most dignified way to bid farewell to your pet remains to do so in a professional setting dedicated to precisely that. Like with human funerals, you can have the essential services (burial, cremation) and then decide on add-ons (ceremony and customizations) based on your budget.
The additional cost pales in comparison to what you stand to gain by burying your pet in a dedicated pet section of a reputable cemetery. This can be in terms of closure, having a serene place to visit in the future, or being eventually buried nearby yourself.
If you need further help deciding on a burial site for your pet (or human) at our Washington, DC cemetery, we are happy to help. Give us a call, write to us, or request an appointment today.
