Is it just me, or is this strange? ("souvenir" of dead pet)

In My Humble Opinion
1

We had a guinea pig euthanized early last week after a couple of weeks of declining health.

Last time we had a pet die (another guinea pig, last year), the vet sent us a sympathy note. OK, that’s not unreasonable and was a nice gesture though (I’m sooooo going to hell) I had to snicker at “she was a very special guinea pig”.

But yesterday in the mail, we got a padded mailer labeled “fragile”. We opened it up - and found an acrylic-clay heart. With the pig’s name stamped in it, and his date of death… and his pawprints. Presumably taken just after they euthanized him as he’d have put up quite a fight while still alive.

Typo Knig and I just stared at the thing dumbfounded, wondering what in hell we were supposed to do with it. I pointed out that there wasn’t even a hole in it in case we wished to hang it up somewhere (to which he replied “An ornament! Nothing says ‘Christmas’ like a plastic heart with a dead animal’s pawprints!!”). Had to admit he had a point.

Are we supposed to put it on his grave? (we took him home and buried him in the backyard with a big flat stone over it, to avoid a repeat of last year where a few weeks later, somehow the grave of the other piggie got dug up… either a predator that liked rotting rodent, or we’ve got a zombie guinea pig lurking outdoors, wheeking “braaaainnnnsssss”).

Are we supposed to leave it out on the coffee table for everyone to admire, right next to the book of landscape photos a friend gave us? (“Oooh look, the Grand Canyon!” “Hah, that’s boring, now here’s something REALLY interesting to look at!”).

Are we supposed to put it under our pillows to dream of the dear departed? (nah, I never liked that pig and surely don’t want to dream of him! I mean, I took care of him and sunk a small fortune in vet bills to try to save him, but that was duty not love).

Give it to the kids as a souvenir? Yeah, that’ll work out reeeealllll good. I LIKE hearing the kids sob uncontrollably about things even 2 years after they’ve happened, and if Dweezil puts on a show worrying about a stuffed animal being lonely for him, he’ll be LOADS of fun with a plastic heart with pawprints.

Thank heaven the kids are away at camp! We’ve hidden the object or we’d never hear the end of it.

2

Put it in the garden and forget about it.

3

Not just you, although I’m inclined to label it as not that strange.

Although, not to be insulting to you or other guinea pig owners, but . . .

I’d find it a lot less strange if the newly deceased pet were a cat or a dog.

4

I had an ill cat put down about 18 months ago. I also got the sympathy card from the vet, and while I didn’t get the momento, I got an offer to let my buy one.

So someone took a footprint from my dead cat, and wants me to buy it? Maybe if you have large dog, you could use it as a soap dish?

5

When I had to let Whitey the Wonder Cat go, I got a little ceramic plaque and a plastic stand for it. The plaque says:

In Memory Of WHITEY

The Pet
we loved
will remain
with us
forever,
and
cherished
memories
will abide
within our
hearts
reminding
us that
the love
we shared
together
is
eternal.
picture of red roses

I can tell you exactly because it’s here in my bottom desk drawer. I didn’t know quite what to do with it either, but I didn’t throw it away. It’s generic as all hell, but pawprints would really be disturbing. Paints quite the mental picture, it does…

6

I can’t be the only one who on the first read thought they removed the little guy’s heart and coated it in acrylic, can I?

7

I honestly had no idea that someone would go through the cost and trouble to euthanise a guinea pig. Was this little trinket’s cost included in the price of the prodecure? Because next time I’d ask them to do what they have to do, hold the bric a brac.

8

I’ve gotten sympathy cards from the vet after my cats died. But never a “souvenir”. They did once try to sell me an urn to keep his ashes in, though.

I know someone who, after her dog died, had it made into a rug/blanket. Now that struck me as strange.

9

:eek: Like, skinned it? Cuz that’s just creepy.

10

Not as creepy as doing it yourself of course.

11

My ex was going to have a vest made out of the dog.

12

I dunno, I think both are about the same. Getting your pet stuffed is slightly less disturbing… unless you have a whole house full of your dead pets. (“And here’s Mr. Wiggles, the caterpillar I had when I was in second grade…”)

13

See my vest, see my vest made of real gorilla chest!

14

Damn you for beating me to that comment.

15

Yep, she had it skinned. I happened to see it later, and it looked just like a bearskin rug, although without the head attached. It was a large dog, although I can’t remember the breed offhand.

16

No, if you were considering taxidermy as a good idea for a pet, it would be waaaaaay less creepy to have someone else do it than to haul Spot down to the basement and get out the tool chest… :eek:

17

I recently had a cat cremated and I think her cremains came back with a pawprint plaque. I haven’t been able to open the bag yet (still sad) but I think that if/when I get my own place, it will go in the garden.

A friend of mind had his dog’s hide tanned AND skull cleaned. Alrighty. I used to joke about getting a hat made from my oldest cat but the older we both get, I know that it won’t happen.

When I worked in the taxidermy studio, we had a few people contact us about getting their pets done. The artist wouldn’t do cats & dogs because he told me that the end product would never ‘look’ like their pet. He’s done a few tropical fish and birds though.

18

We got a pawprint plaque from the LSU Vet School along with a little note and a brochure about their grief counseling service for people who’ve lost pets. We had chosen not to have Charles T. Cat’s cremains returned to us, so I wasn’t expecting any further communication from them. It upset my calm and made me cry again. I also felt it was on the creepy side of weird, because all I can think when I look at it is that someone pressed his *dead * little paw into Sculpey clay. I mean, thanks for the thought and all, but… :dubious: Glad they didn’t have a digital camera.

My husband put it on his home altar, next to our cat buddha statuette and a figure of Bast, which seems an appropriate place for it. Charles T. Cat never went outside, after all.

I’m pretty open-minded, but having your dead pets taxidermied is beyond creepy and into Norman Bates weird. Birds less so than mammals though. Ugh, I’m so grossed out now.

19

We have a couple of snips of Miss Emily’s fur, taken from an earlier grooming, and we saved what lost puppy teeth of Phyllis and Dottie’s we could find. That stuff is in a little dish on the piano next to the cubical urn that holds Emily’s ashes.

I wouldn’t have objected to receiving a little pawprint plaque. Seem like a nice caring touch to me (much nicer than what the assholes at the pet crematory did). But rugs, taxidermy, and (I’ve heard) freeze-drying? Eww. I think a nice picture will do.

20

Yes…that’s incredibly weird to me, too. The little acrylic heart is one thing, but the paw thing is another. I don’t like the image of them pressing paws into clay…it just feels icky.