# Legalities of a "dog funeral". For humans **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 27, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887 "2015-10-27T18:08:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/1 "2015-10-27T18:08:15Z")
Compare to the current customs of viewings, embalming a, wakes, cremations, internments and such, I think that I would prefer to have a dog funeral. Simply put, somebody who liked me can wrap me in an old blanket, dig a hole, drop me in and plant a tree on top, than go drink a beer while meditatively sitting on the back porch, and considering what a good guy I was. Tree fertilizer seems a lot better than being embalmed and taking up useful space, or being ashed, urned, and put on a mantel. What are the issues or considerations that prevent this? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/2 "2015-10-27T18:10:11Z")
Every jurisdiction has its own sets of laws, regulations, etc. for the internment of human remains. Check your local laws and see if your desires are permissible. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/3 "2015-10-27T18:10:23Z")
Oddly enough, Cecil answered this question in 2004. > **[Can a person be buried in the backyard rather than a cemetery?](https://www.straightdope.com/21343696/can-a-person-be-buried-in-the-backyard-rather-than-a-cemetery)** ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/4 "2015-10-27T18:22:22Z")
I should also point out where I live in California a dog funeral is also illegal for dogs. Not that I paid any attention to that particular law when my cat passed away recently (really screw those guys, I am burying my cat in his back garden. The man can suck it.). ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/5 "2015-10-27T18:26:53Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Oddly enough, Cecil answered this question in 2004. > > [Can a person be buried in the backyard rather than a cemetery? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2573/can-a-person-be-buried-in-the-backyard-rather-than-a-cemetery) Thanks. I guess another question though would be about health hazards of this practice. Any reason there it might be a bad idea? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/6 "2015-10-27T18:33:18Z")
[It’s been done.](http://www.treehugger.com/culture/egg-shaped-burial-pods-fertilize-forest.html) I also remember a site that allows you to choose the tree you will be buried under. Granted, still not a backyard thing but a step. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/7 "2015-10-27T18:37:38Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > Thanks. I guess another question though would be about health hazards of this practice. Any reason there it might be a bad idea? Don’t dig above a septic tank or power/gas lines. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/8 "2015-10-27T18:46:12Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Every jurisdiction has its own sets of laws, regulations, etc. for the internment of human remains. Check your local laws and see if your desires are permissible. [Pedantic nitpick](http://grammarist.com/usage/interment-internment/): “interment”, unless you actually mean to detain the deceased in custody. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/9 "2015-10-27T20:02:42Z")
Similar to how I wish the previous owner had disclosed all the drifters buried under the patio, my own moldering gravesite would be a turn-off to many buyers if my wife ever wanted to sell the house after I’m gone. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/10 "2015-10-27T20:09:21Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > Thanks. I guess another question though would be about health hazards of this practice. Any reason there it might be a bad idea? Direct health hazards is one reason – both from society’s and the burier’s point of view. Another reason is the desire of real-estate agents and many or most potential buyers not to have human remains scattered around the landscape, and the desire of relatives of the deceased not to have their remains end up underneath a McDonald’s parking lot in a few years. Society in general shares both of those desires to some degree; a particular burier may or may not. There’s also the interest that law enforcement has in not having lots of unmarked anonymous graves around, and the interest of the burier in avoiding law enforcement attention. [There’s also good reasons society wants deaths registered, but I suppose you could properly register a death and then do a dog funeral, so that’s not super relevant] ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/11 "2015-10-27T20:15:17Z")
You could just be ashed, then skip the urn and mantle, and dump the ashes wherever. That really seems to be the most practical thing. No huge hole to dig, no heavy, stinky dead body to hoist, no pesky real-estate disclosures. Win, win. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/12 "2015-10-27T20:16:02Z")
I first heard of this sort of thing in an episode of the HBO series “Six Feet Under” where I believe it was called a “green burial.” In that case, the burial occurred in a forest or woods that was designated for this, so sort of a rustic cemetery. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/13 "2015-10-27T20:26:40Z")
I would also be happy with a dog funeral, for me or for my loved one. But public health laws forbid it in most states. (registering a death and the disposal of the body is a separate matter, and there’s no reason they cant happen with a dog funeral for a person.) But even digging a large enough hole for a cat is tiresome, and I suspect most laymen wouldn’t dig deep enough to safely bury a human corpse. My dad was cremated, and we scattered his ashes (probably illegally, but like the dog funeral, who will know?) That’s probably the path the rest of my family will choose. It is nice to be able to scatter the ashes in the company of your kin and friends, without needing a hired interloper. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/14 "2015-10-27T21:10:59Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > [Pedantic nitpick](http://grammarist.com/usage/interment-internment/): “interment”, unless you actually mean to detain the deceased in custody. Thx ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/15 "2015-10-27T21:35:37Z")
I know there is a green cemetery near Austin TX where you can be buried in a shroud and without embalming. Ahh, here it is [Eloise Woods](http://www.eloisewoods.com/index.html) and here’s a [PDF by the owner about running a natural burial park](http://www.eloisewoods.com/docs/Not-easy-green_9-25-12.pdf). Looks like you could be buried there with your critters, if you wanted to. Texas state law is pretty liberal on burials. Technically, all you need is a hole in the ground of the right depth, located the proper distance from habitations and cities, and properly filed against the property deed to establish a family cemetery. There is no requirement for embalming or a casket. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/16 "2015-10-27T21:49:18Z")
Been looking into this, for obvious reasons. Unfortunately not many green burial places, even here in CA - only a couple in SoCal, one is all the way out in Joshua Tree, one only accepts Jewish people (or people married to Jewish people). Bah. I wish they could just take me up into the San Gabriel Mountains and put me under a tree. That would be nice. ---
**Author:** ![Clothilde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Clothilde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothilde)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/17 "2015-10-28T13:12:15Z")
I saw this documentary, I believe, on pbs. [A Will For The Woods](http://www.awillforthewoods.com/#home) ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/18 "2015-10-28T14:01:01Z")
Yeah, while a teen I did some construction work and the owner of the company said if while excavating we ran across any bones that looked human to kick some dirt over them. An investigation by the state police to determine if a crime had been committed could delay a project for days, and if it proved to be Native American remains the archeological survey could delay the project for months. Fortunately nothing human like ever turned up on my watch. There’s a strong benefit to keeping track of where the bodies are buried. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/19 "2015-10-28T16:00:29Z")
In some places you can skip burial entirely, and just be left out in the open to decay. For SCIENCE! [Body Farms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_farm) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/20 "2015-10-28T16:12:29Z")
Make a deal with a [body farm,](http://www.damninteresting.com/the-remains-of-doctor-bass/) and you can just dump it on the ground. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887.md?page=2)