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The grief felt by the loss of a pet is unique. The bonding between owner and pet often involves a more private and personal side of our nature than we would entrust to a human. Their dependency upon us leads to our relying heavily on their need. When eventually they die, as they must, the shock and grief becomes a very personal affair that we may be unable to share with others. The ritual of cremation or burial can be an important part of the healing process and acceptance of your loss. It is therefore important that you are sure your wishes are carried out correctly and with dignity and in this the members of our Association are able to help. How the Government views your pets. It is an unfortunate fact that deceased pets are officially classified as Controlled Waste. Anyone handling deceased pets must be licensed by their Local Authority for the collection or disposal of waste. Both pet crematoria and pet cemeteries must be licenced by the Environment Agency or Local Authority as waste sites. The rigour of enforcement does vary between Counties but a veterinary surgeon has a legal duty of care to check the authenticity of any organisation he or she uses. What this means for the pet owner Most owners would not wish their pets' bodies to be dealt along with commercial refuse. When we talk of cremation and burial we have in mind a personal and specialist process that is a long way from the incineration or landfill disposal of throw-away waste. However, due to the waste classification the waste industry may use these terms and we therefore we have waste disposal firms, abattoirs, and an ever increasing number of waste carriers offering services for pets. These are often carried out under appealing names which belie the true natures of the operations. For the pet owner this means two things :
Most pet owners would regard a service described as Cremation or Burial to encompass three main points :
For more information see The Association of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria |
