Pet Funerals

Well I have been very quiet since losing my Hardy. That was a difficult week. He had 2 massive seizures within 5 hours and I agreed with the vet that it was his time. I could not let him suffer any longer. My furbabies are my children and it was so hard to say goodbye. And what happens after you must say goodbye?

I had two choices. I could bury him here at home or have him cremated. Funds are limited so a pet cemetery or something fancy was not an option. And I have so many other furbabies that will one day follow. I did not want to think of him rotting in the always cold and wet ground here, even though I would have loved to have him close. It seems the most common practice here in Belgium and Holland, is cremation. However, I had the on call vet and not my vet, take him on the night and the on call vet goes through a public company which does bulk cremations of all animals including livestock and everything. That just did NOT sit right with me. I wanted more for my baby, not to be just tossed in with anything and everything. And have absolutely no respect.

So I spoke to my vet about it all and she does something very different. She goes through a special, private pet crematorium in the Netherlands. My vet said that when she lost her dog, she was also not comfortable with the "Mass Destruction" idea and found this wonderful crematorium in Roermond, the Netherlands, that treat you and your pet with the utmost respect. And my vet kindly retrieved my Hardy from the on call vet and arranged things with the crematorium for me. I was so relieved to know that he was safely with my vet who loved him almost as much as I did. And that she would take care of him.

So the company name, you ask? SHCN Dierenuitvaart!

I had said goodbye to my boy. He went to sleep in my arms. But the pet crematorium offers a package for everyone and for all budgets. From a simple group cremation for as little as 20 euro for a pet less than 1kg. For Hardy, between 4 and 7kg, it is 60 euro. Depending on your budget or what you desire, you can also choose for an individual cremation and the ashes returned or a small group cremation and the ashes spread over the North Sea. If you wish, it is possible to have a private farewell and a small service. And it is all done with the utmost respect. I feel better having chosen this option out of respect for my beloved furbaby.

Hardy will always be in my heart and I miss him terribly. But I know he is no longer suffering and he is much happier now. Goodbye my sweet boy!