New York state laws are evolving to please the pet-loving public. One of the newest allows pets to be buried alongside their humans.
You may be thinking, “Wait a minute–pets aren’t allowed to rest in peace with their families?”
According to a story by the The New York Times, “It is unclear how many other states allow pets to be buried with their owners in cemeteries meant for people. In general, said Mr. Fleming, of the state’s Association of Cemeteries, the practice has not been allowed.”
That is, until now…in New York.
Previously, pet parents who refused to “rest in peace” without their companions by their side had to resort to being buried in a pet cemetery. Edward C. Martin Jr., director of the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, told the publication that every year, 5-7 people are laid to rest there.
This isn’t to say that family members wouldn’t tuck the urn of a dearly departed dog or cat into a relative’s casket. But with this new law, legal and formal plans can be made, making sneaking around unnecessary. What’s more, if the pet happens to outlive its human, both can rest assured knowing that they have side-by-side plots in which to slumber eternally.
The New York law states that all animals must be cremated, and allowance is up to each cemetery’s discretion. But there’s no doubt that permitting pets will be a selling point for some who are still deciding where to reserve their plots.
It only makes sense: if we consider animals to be part of our family, why not be buried together, as families so often are?
“It’s like having a kid, so it’s like having a kid buried next to you,” dog walker Shakeema Hutcherson told The New York Times. We think that the pet-mom of a Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix and a temperamental cat certainly has a point.
Do you think other states should pass similar laws?
(h/t: The New York Times. Feature Image: Bryan Alexander via Flickr)
