Jennifer is author of ‘Say Farewell Your Way’ - a funeral planning guide for Ireland, blogger of www.theglamreaper.blogspot.com, creator of Irish Glass Memorial Jewellery line: Humans www.celtic-ashes.com; Pets - www.rainbowbridge-memorials.com, planner of Memorials at funeral homes and talker - @TheGlamReaper on Twitter and Tedx 2017 Any questions just ask - muldowney.jennifer@gmail.com
By Jennifer Muldowney
Pet funerals
Why they are important
D
o you have a dog? A Cat? A horse? A parrot? A guinea pig? For me, a house is not a home without a pet. No one greets you or loves you unconditionally like a pet. You could tell a pet of some heinous crime that you have committed and they will still wag their tail, purr (or similar) just to keep listening to your voice and keep your devoted attention. It is incredible the amount of comfort animals can bring to the elderly and the disabled and the grief stricken in your community. 10 years ago, my family and I had a horrendous decision
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to make; of whether to put our beloved 16 year-old west highland terrier, Roxy, down or keep her alive even though she was in pain and suffering from strokes daily. We chose to be kind, or so we think. I still have my doubts to this day whether we were selfish or kind by doing so. I guess one never knows. Her eyes never left mine as she passed away. It seems self-indulgent to even think of mourning a pet when faced with human loss and so feelings get hidden and grief buried deep. But what if, as funeral directors, you help your community to embrace this loss in the open and amongst loved ones. Can you equip your funeral home to offer funerals for beloved pets? Can you work with a pet crematorium like Cranmore or your local community veterinarian to offer pet funerals to the families that I am sure you
already serve? Maybe there is someone who already works for you that is an animal lover and would happily take this extra service on as a new project? It is worth considering as a new way to help your community even more and to add a revenue stream to your business. I know 10 years ago, if I knew it was a service that would have been offered, I would have taken the opportunity to say goodbye to Roxy in a service absolutely.
