# What to do with the body of a dead pet **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 29, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436 "2013-12-29T21:02:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/21 "2013-12-30T00:34:14Z")
> [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](#): > > \Yes, hand-delivered, not mailed or fed-exed. They called to make sure someone would be home. \ Dang! We treat our pets better than our own kind! The IL funeral home insisted on FedEx’ing my mother’s cremated remains to the out of state cemetery for her interment. Like a package from Amazon but with better reliability I guess. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/22 "2013-12-30T00:42:17Z")
Careful. It’s illegal to bury a dead pet within our city limits, so either check or at least don’t get caught. We brought Timothy the Guinea Pig outside of the city to rest in peace after being put to sleep at the vet (huge tumor from chin to bum, he was wheezing and couldn’t get around). ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/23 "2013-12-30T04:33:55Z")
6 inches down is dirt; round-head shovel/spade. It is some work, but not a lot. Below 6 inches can be clay, which means you need a pick or pick-axe. Its a lot harder than it sounds & it involves swapping to the shovel after every 4th stroke. You will need to hydrate a lot and don’t be ashamed if you have to stop ever 20 or so strokes. Pacing yourself works best anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/24 "2013-12-30T04:57:29Z")
We’ve buried large dogs (50 - 75 lbs) in the back yard. We had our Yorkie cremated and he’s in a box in my kitchen. We also had our cat cremated but did not keep the remains. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/25 "2013-12-30T05:07:05Z")
Ours are in the cat garden in the back yard. Only one is under the garage which was built after we had buried her. I have a monument that says, “Those we held in our arms for a little while we hold in our hearts forever.” It’s a shady spot under the sumac and our living cats love to lay there and watch the birds. In the summer a large patch of Black-eyed Susans grows nearby. Totally illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/26 "2013-12-30T05:16:58Z")
> [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > Isn’t there an issue with it smelling as it rots? Why would there be, provided you bury it in a container of some sort? I mean, how would it be any different from a human body? I’ve buried deceased pets in my yard – it’s not a big stink hole. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/27 "2013-12-30T05:57:38Z")
Amateur Barbarian, I hope your dog’s ok! I have a little kitty box collection myself. :eek: Mine have been cremated via the vet, but our local shelter will take remains and treat them appropriately. I don’t believe there’s any cost. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/28 "2013-12-30T06:10:39Z")
When the dog I had from childhood died at the age of 20, my brother and I took him to the woods and dug a grave next to a stream. It was weird, we were coming out of the woods and these two teen kids were riding bikes with their dog; they must of saw us bury Sam because one of them gave us this raised fist solidarity gesture that I still remember to this day. I’ve had Sam’s collar ever since and I hang it on the wall where ever I live. When my current dog goes, it’s going to be rough. We’ll probably cremate her and spread her ashes in the Shenandoah Valley. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/29 "2013-12-30T08:03:47Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Or you pre-dig the hole in the fall and cover it with plywood. We did the fall before my dog died, because 15 was quite old for a dog on the borderline between medium and large. Fortunately she lived until April, but we would’ve been able to de-snow the “plot” if necessary. Oh, yes, but out here the dry summer dirt is a lot harder than the wet winter mud. When our dog was dying, we soaked an area of ground with the hose lightly for two days and only actually dug when it looked like the end was near. In the winter, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but hard summer dirt required the planning. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/30 "2013-12-30T12:50:20Z")
I should mention too that you can ask for the cremated remains to be put in a “scatter tube”. We’ve done that recently with dogs, and take them to my favorite place in the world - a place where they loved to be too, it’s private property and in the middle of the Catskill mountains. We (my husband and I) take a walk and scatter the ashes in the deep ferns they loved to romp and sniff through, and we talk about fun and silly times we had with them. It’s a nice remembrance 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/31 "2013-12-30T13:21:50Z")
I buried one of our guinea pigs in the flower garden on the side of our house last December after she died. My only concern was digging the hole deep enough because the ground was already getting cold and hard, but I think I got her down far enough. I just wrapped her in cloth, buried her in the hole I dug, then placed a decorative rock over it so I would remember where I put her. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/32 "2013-12-30T21:01:51Z")
I grew up down the street from a pet cemetery, and in our neighborhood of row houses, it made sense. Yards were tiny. Now we live on 3 acres, but we let the vet dispose of our last 4 critters. Neither one of us are in any shape to dig a deep enough hole, especially with the number of old tree roots we encounter even in our gardens. And we didn’t want any ashes back, so that made it less expensive. Cold-hearted to some, I suppose, but we’ve got pictures and memories - we don’t need anything else. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/33 "2013-12-30T21:16:08Z")
My mom’s cousin lived in the city (St. Louis), and she said they called people that would come and pick up your dead pet, disposing of them for a fee. My mom and I, who have always lived across the river with land to bury our pets on, laughed, and said “You mean you had to call the dead dog catcher?” ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/34 "2013-12-30T23:08:38Z")
Always get flushable pets. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![Dana\_Scully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@Dana\_Scully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dana_Scully)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/35 "2013-12-30T23:10:36Z")
When my cat died last year, I had her cremated and her remains returned to me. I then buried them in her favorite place in the back yard. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/36 "2013-12-30T23:12:57Z")
We had both our malamutes, Missy and Jack, cremated. Their ashes are in their respective boxes on a shelf in our bedroom along with their collars and tags. I like the idea of burying the boxes in our backyard and planting a rose bush for each of them. However, since neither of us are gardeners, I’d be afraid we’d kill the roses. ---
**Author:** ![Dana\_Scully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@Dana\_Scully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dana_Scully)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/37 "2013-12-30T23:14:07Z")
> [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > Ours are in the cat garden in the back yard. Only one is under the garage which was built after we had buried her. I have a monument that says, “Those we held in our arms for a little while we hold in our hearts forever.” > > It’s a shady spot under the sumac and our living cats love to lay there and watch the birds. In the summer a large patch of Black-eyed Susans grows nearby. > > Totally illegal. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![QueenOfClubs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/53a042/32.png) [@QueenOfClubs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QueenOfClubs)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/38 "2013-12-31T09:14:36Z")
Sorry, I read the title to this thread as “What to do with the body of a dead poet?” and came to see if anyone else had figured out a better method. 😑 ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/39 "2013-12-31T09:44:10Z")
Note that if you do bury, bury deep enough that other scavengers won’t come to it, particularly if the animal was euthanized. ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436/40 "2014-01-02T00:25:13Z")
I am fortunate to have a goodly sized property. I also take in abandoned cats once in a while so there is never a shortage of felines of various ages around the place. It may seem morbid but I always have a two-foot deep, “cat sized” loosely filled and marked hole prepared for the time when it is needed. When it is I am hardly in the right frame of mind to have to deal with digging a grave in hard soil. I even had one dog, but he was BIG and is now about four feet down. I’m happy I’ve kept all these friends and companions close by – and still know where they all are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-the-body-of-a-dead-pet/677436.md?page=3)