That sounds like a nice thing to do. If only I was at my permanent home. I'm leaning even more towards cremation, but I guess I won't really know until it happens.
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Past Pet Owners: What Did You Do With the Deceased?
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That sounds like a nice thing to do. If only I was at my permanent home. I'm leaning even more towards cremation, but I guess I won't really know until it happens.
Abbie was a spectacular cat, best friend, and veritable daughter. She was cremated and rests on my mantle. I move not infrequently and she goes with me.
With regards to human corpses, the majority of Judaism has conventionally been very much against (willing/requested) cremation, at least in my conservative upbringing and education. I know the Orthodox are strictly against it, but I imagine Reform, like many things, are far accommodating.
Halachach is quite explicit in stating that the dead must be buried in within the earth. This all has to do with the belief of the physical resurrection of the body. The talmud has a lot to say about proper burial procedures and that bodies are not be mutilated after death (or before I suppose). It was explained to me as you lease your physical body from God, and at the end of life, you're expected to turn it back in expected condition. Burning it would be disrespectful. It's also what the Pagans did, so therefore it is automatically wrong
. Many Jewish cemeteries do not accept ashes. In fact, for those who are cremated, Shiva (mourning) observances are not required, much like in the case of suicide. Suicide and cremation are viewed as complete disregard for your body, so much so that it is basically seen as withdrawing yourself from the religion.I'd be curious to know your spreading of the ashes proscription, I've never heard anything about that. It is my understanding from a (conservative) rabbi that not returning the ashes to the earth (i.e. keeping them in an urn), would be inappropriate as the body is meant to return to the earth. This was in the case of one of my old dogs. Cremated Jew's ashes are typically buried in a coffin. Jews are not supposed to buried in mausoleums or any above ground structures.
Regardless of halachah and being raised in a conservative family, I'd prefer to be cremated myself.
That is Halacha. As long as the ashes are buried within the earth, there is nothing against cremation - even according to the Orthodox (how I grew up). You'll find there are a number of misbeliefs including cremation and tattoos, both of which can be problematic due to the camps. So yes, you (or your pet) can be cremated after wearing a tattoo, and still be buried in a Jewish cemetery.
Sorry for getting off topic.
Interesting! It's always been my understanding that cremation is pretty much universally opposed ("discouraged) by Orthodox and Conservative rabbis. I think there is a difference between forced and willful cremation. It's funny you mention the 'no tattoos in cemeteries' myth, I hadn't heard that one until a few years ago. I suppose it's all open to interpretation, but this article and this article seems to summarize many of the points I had been taught in years of torturous Jewish education.
Of course, now you have me researching this. Here is a fun fact from Wikipedia.
Anyways, regardless of any of this religious stuff says, I don't think applies to the original post. I'd personally go with burial or cremation as it seems most practical. Cremation will obviously cost money to do. One thing that has always sickened me is that animal cremations are done as either individual or groups, depending on what you want to pay. Therefore, you wouldn't only be getting the remains of your pet, but potentially a number of others. When my dog passed recently, the cremation prices were $100 group, $300 individual. Ugh.
I buried our cat in the back.
It was a stuggle to get her in the grave, she kept clawing to get out
Seriously, we buried her in the back yard, my wife was devastated even though we saw it coming.
It was a stuggle to get her in the grave, she kept clawing to get out
Seriously, we buried her in the back yard, my wife was devastated even though we saw it coming.
Wow.. this is such a hard question since this really hits home.
A few years ago, my wife and I had the decision to make of .. well, putting her guide dog down, or keeping her and letting what was happening naturally happen. What made it hard for us was that her dog just wasn't part of our family; she was my wife's eyes, and if it weren't for Willa, my wife and I wouldn't have met (that's another fun story for another time).
Long story short, a few years after we retired her, we found out she had cancer, and needed to figure out what we were going to do. it was affecting her ability to walk, eat, let alone enjoy her life of just being a normal dog. So eventually we came to the decision that it was time.
I've lost pets before, at times when a kid should never have to learn about death so early in life, but I have to tell you that letting Willa go was the second hardest thing I've ever had to go through in my life (believe me, you don't want to know the 1st). We took her to the vet, who set up our own private room so we could be with her, and we stayed as long as they could let us, even after it happened. And call me a sook, wimp, what have you (I'll wear that with pride), but I was an absolute crying sobbing mess when we left. We both were.
After getting ourselves cleaned up, the only way we could think of to get us out of that funk, was to be with those who understood the plight; so we went to our friend's house, who is a Guide dog Puppy Raiser. You'd think that visiting them and playing with the puppies that would become service animals would be insult to injury, but it really helped, because we needed that.
Without our knowing, that vet not only stopped by and delivered Willa back to us (we asked for cremation), but they also made a $1500 donation to our local university's veterinary program, as well as a donation to Guide dogs for the Blind, in our name.
Now, every day, we look up on our bookshelf, and see Willa, with her collar and guide dog tags around her as she watches over us.
I guess my point with all of this is that you should choose what helps you to heal but never forget them, as they are part of you. They aren't just a pet that you can replace; they're family. Treat them like such, and don't ever, ever forget them.
BL.
A few years ago, my wife and I had the decision to make of .. well, putting her guide dog down, or keeping her and letting what was happening naturally happen. What made it hard for us was that her dog just wasn't part of our family; she was my wife's eyes, and if it weren't for Willa, my wife and I wouldn't have met (that's another fun story for another time).
Long story short, a few years after we retired her, we found out she had cancer, and needed to figure out what we were going to do. it was affecting her ability to walk, eat, let alone enjoy her life of just being a normal dog. So eventually we came to the decision that it was time.
I've lost pets before, at times when a kid should never have to learn about death so early in life, but I have to tell you that letting Willa go was the second hardest thing I've ever had to go through in my life (believe me, you don't want to know the 1st). We took her to the vet, who set up our own private room so we could be with her, and we stayed as long as they could let us, even after it happened. And call me a sook, wimp, what have you (I'll wear that with pride), but I was an absolute crying sobbing mess when we left. We both were.
After getting ourselves cleaned up, the only way we could think of to get us out of that funk, was to be with those who understood the plight; so we went to our friend's house, who is a Guide dog Puppy Raiser. You'd think that visiting them and playing with the puppies that would become service animals would be insult to injury, but it really helped, because we needed that.
Without our knowing, that vet not only stopped by and delivered Willa back to us (we asked for cremation), but they also made a $1500 donation to our local university's veterinary program, as well as a donation to Guide dogs for the Blind, in our name.
Now, every day, we look up on our bookshelf, and see Willa, with her collar and guide dog tags around her as she watches over us.
I guess my point with all of this is that you should choose what helps you to heal but never forget them, as they are part of you. They aren't just a pet that you can replace; they're family. Treat them like such, and don't ever, ever forget them.
BL.
we kind of wanted to keep the ashes of our last dog but it was 200.00 to have a separate cremation. we figured that money was better spent on another dog.
I had both of my cats cremated. They were littermates, and when the little one, Flurry, came down with a terrible illness and passed away at only 6 months old, cremation was the only option for me. We lived in an apartment, so we didn't have anywhere to bury him. At first I couldn't even bear to open the box the ashes were in (they gave us a cardboard box with a metal tin inside). Afterward I decided that I would keep the ashes, so that the cats could be scattered together in 20 years or so.
Storm passed away almost three years ago, and I had him cremated as planned. I'm still in the "I can't bear to open the box phase" and I'm okay with that. We move around a lot, and I don't want to scatter the ashes somewhere that I can't visit regularly, so I'll probably get a fancy box or urn or something that's a bit bigger than what I have now, so I can put the ashes together.
Storm passed away almost three years ago, and I had him cremated as planned. I'm still in the "I can't bear to open the box phase" and I'm okay with that. We move around a lot, and I don't want to scatter the ashes somewhere that I can't visit regularly, so I'll probably get a fancy box or urn or something that's a bit bigger than what I have now, so I can put the ashes together.
For me it kinda depends on the size.. I had a fairly large golden retriever that passed away a few years ago-- she was cremated and we buried the ashes. But for smaller creatures, we wrap them up in paper towels, and dig a hole about a foot and a half deep and plant them there. I don't have the biggest of yards, so this is more or less a necessity.
We have had our pet dogs cremated, then placed in an urn. All are buried some place private. Just recently lost my bulldog and we have him sitting on our fireplace mantle till we take him to be buried. Just remember there are some cost related to cremation and an urn should you take that route. Always tough thinking about the loss or the actual loss of a pet.
I have the remains of three beloved Siamese cats with me, in urns. Two of those urns are in a favorite place of two of the cats: on top of my chest of drawers under a lamp; they loved to sit up there and soak in the warmth in wintertime. Now they rest there permanently..... The third urn, the oldest, is on a bookcase, appropriately near a collection of books about Caring for Your Cat and How to Live with a Siamese Cat.... Although all three cats have been gone for a long time now, each has left indelible memories and the soft touch of their delicate pawprints on my heart......