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John Moore / Getty Images
Grieving pet owner Spencer Warren opens the casket of his beloved 12-year-old beagle-hound Justin in the viewing room of the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery and Crematory on April 30 in Hartsdale, New York. Warren, an Annandale, Virginia attorney, had traveled with Justin's body to bury him here on a shady hillside. The cemetery, established in 1896, is the oldest pet cemetery in the United States and serves as the final resting place for tens of thousands of pets. Pet owners can spend as much as $20,000 for a large plot to bury multiple pets and as little as $300-400 for small plots to bury ashes if they choose cremation. Pet owners also have the option of eventually having their own ashes buried in the plot, alongside their pets.
John Moore / Getty Images
Pet chaplain David James conducts a graveside service for Justin, a twelve-year-old beagle-hound at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery and Crematory.
John Moore / Getty Images
Graves and tombs mark pets' final resting place at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery and Crematory.
John Moore / Getty Images
Maddalena Sullivan visits a grave on the two-month anniversary of the death of her cat Spanky.
John Moore / Getty Images
A gravestone marks a pet's final resting place.
See more images of pets in PhotoBlog, and animals of all kinds in Animal Tracks.
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I know what it is to loose a most-beloved animal friend, but after spending nearly a decade in developing countries, it is disconcerting to see such money being spent on caskets and funerals after an animal is dead. For me, it would be a nobler gesture to make a donation in the pet's name to a local animal shelter, or some development organization. It's no wonder that much of the struggling world resents our excesses.
I agree with you patty.... I loved our dog- and we always did the best for her- but wouldn't put thousands into extending her life. IN death- we had her cremated and buried her in our new house back yard. Know so many who spend thousands on chemo and insulin and then major funeral costs.... bless them - but they are animals- and way too many people and animals suffer in this world to justify it
I have 3 pets buried in a pet cemetary starting back in the mid 1980's. people say I am insane
I have the great good fortune of living in an area of high peaks and wide open fields and valleys. Many of my old friends are buried in green pastures, but the majority of them have been cremated and reside, in part, in their little, ornate wooden boxes. I have scattered some of their ashes on the mountain trails we have hiked and ridden on for the past 40 years. When I go, the remainder of my dear friends' ashes....past, present and future.... will be mixed with mine, and we will all take endless flight on the mountain zephyrs. I can't think of a better way to spend "eternity" than soaring around the snow covered summits of the Sierras with those I have loved best!
I have just lost my best friend less than a month ago. Hank was the epitome of what a dog means: loyal, trustworthy, compassionate, loving, and quite the comic. He saw me through a divorce, a remarriage, and the various offerings of life over a 14 year period. I will miss him but had him cremated so I can continue to watch over him till we meet again.