Hosting A Pet Funeral

Your pet is a special member of your family. When it's time to say goodbye, a Sunshine Coast pet funeral can help ease the painful process. When a pet dies, many pet owners are fine letting their veterinarian handle the arrangements for their pet’s body for them. In the past, there were not many other alternatives, other than burying at home when your pet died. Your veterinarian found themselves acting as a mortician out of need rather than by choice. As most people now think of their pets as family members, pet memorial centers, also known as pet funeral homes, have now opened to support pet parents when their beloved pet passes away and handle their final wishes for them. A Sunshine Coast pet funeral service will hold your pet until you decide whether to cremate or bury and will assist you in making those choices. Your pet will not start to decompose as soon as it dies, and you can see your pet again a final time. A pet funeral service will provide an appropriate viewing of your pet for you, your family and friends to say goodbye, if you would like that option. After cremation, some people keep an urn with their pet’s ashes in a special spot in the home. Others bury the urn, and still others scatter the ashes. A pet funeral does not need to be expensive or elaborate. You could hold a simple cat funeral in the backyard with immediate family only. Alternately, if your dog loved the park and made lots of friends, holding a larger dog funeral and memorial service could allow everyone who knew your furry friend to come and share their memories. There are no firm guidelines that you have to stick to, so you should organize a memorial service that you feel will bring you the most comfort. Most pet funerals are not too formal, and this is a great opportunity for children to express their feelings and to encourage them to remember the good times they shared with their pet. Encourage your child or children to be involved in planning and organizing the event. This will help them feel like they are part of the process and have some control over what’s happening. It may also help make saying goodbye a little easier.

Let your child help choose a casket or shroud for your pet. You may want a formal pet casket, especially if your pet will be buried in a cemetery. You can also ask your child to lead the service, or to give a eulogy focused on the happy memories. It’s important to acknowledge your child’s feelings, even if they seem to be stronger than you expect. For most children, the loss of a pet is their first experience with death, and even the death of a pet fish may be difficult. If your child is sad and doesn’t want to speak at the funeral, that’s normal. Like everyone else, children grieve in different ways. You should encourage your child to be part of the process, but don’t push your child to do so if they are not ready. Just as funeral services help humans to come to terms with their losses, pet memorial services give pet owners the closure and support needed to move forward with their lives in a positive way.