Posted on 01/14/2009 1:23:07 PM PST by Daffynition
Forget the notion that dogs are man's best friend. To Sen. Ken Jacobsen no dog could compare to his beloved cat, Sam.
So when the spunky 23-pound family pet died several years ago, Jacobsen was left wondering what to do with him.
"I realized Sam would have wanted to be buried with my remains, right in North Seattle," Jacobsen said Tuesday.
The idea first started as a joke, but when Jacobsen later decided to see if humans and pets could be buried together, he discovered it isn't allowed in cemeteries meant for humans.
This week, the Seattle Democrat known for proposing quirky legislation filed a bill, Senate Bill 5063, that would prevent cemeteries from rejecting animal remains and allow the commingling of human and pet remains.
The legislation only covers dogs and cats — a limitation Jacobsen said he hoped would increase the bill's chances of approval.
State law currently defines a cemetery "as a place used or intended to be used for the placement of human remains" — implying no pets allowed. The only way to be legally buried alongside your four-legged friend is to have your ashes interred in a pet cemetery.
Louis Clarke, owner of Pethaven Cemetery in Kent, thinks the bill is a good idea. The cremated remains of more than 20 people have been buried at his cemetery because the deceased wished to be with their pets.
"Sometimes people ask for their ashes to be mixed in one urn — that's how connected many people feel to their pets," Clarke said.
One gravestone of human and pet remains in the cemetery reads simply, "I loved my pets."
But David Bielski, who owns human and pet cemeteries in Aberdeen, was shocked when he heard about the bill.
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
I can’t see that it would be wrong if the person wants it.
Of course, we then get into the grey area of a person who loves his horse....... Lol.
AND WILL YOU CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO your REMAINS! HA.
And you know what? We really don’t care!
Would that that was all the spent time doing, instead of the more serious issues they meddle in.
It didn’t read, “In memorium”, did it?
Shovel and shut up.
We have counted at least 17 cats and Pembroke Welsh Corgi dogs over a period of 55 years. They are small , beloved creatures . We had a huge lot so it did not seem so bad.
My Mom is still there, God bless her, this time with a Pitt Bull!!! She loves her!
When I went to Korea, in ‘68, I bought a dog for my Mom, a mix, mostly Lab, to keep her company. Pop didn’t want a dog. Needless to say, Sepp became Pop’s dog, and best friend.
When Sepp died, 14 years later, it damn near killed both my parents. They cried for three days. They had him cremated, and buried his ashes behind the house [I made him a marker out of a brick].
When Pop had a stroke in ‘96, I sold their house, built a house and moved them up here. The last thing I did was dig up Sepp’s ashes, and bring them, too.
When Pop passed in 2001, Sepp went with him. A lot of you may not understand that. The dog lovers will.
Should both my dog and cat die before I do, I will have them cremated.
I’ve informed my son that when I die, I want to be cremated and have their remains put in with mine as well as a few clips of fur from other now deceased dogs.
My urn will be sealed and placed in a vault. Other than me, my son and my attorney no one else will know.
IMO there isn’t anything wrong with this idea! Matter of fact its nice to see SOME sense coming from a politician!
Great story Pzldr.
When I think back at all the places we have lived and all the critters that were buried in the back yard, I smile. If the new owners only knew.
No, no misspelled Latin...just the names and dates of the people and the dog.
Sorry, “memoriam”. Wish this stupid site would let one edit.
Could’ve been; was just wondering if it was simply a memorial “to the memory” of the dog. At least in the past, that was the way you indicated it was just a memorial, not a burial.
If something ever happens with my parents’ house, I intend on digging up the area of my greatest-dog-ever and her contemporary great cat. They were too great to let be abandoned and who-knows-what by any other owner. Other animals there, too, but not so great.
If something ever happens with my parents’ house, I intend on digging up the area of my greatest-dog-ever and her contemporary great cat.
In order to unearth my most beloved pets, I'd have to uproot a 'Yoshino' cherry tree and a gorgeous 'Climbing Peace' rose. I think I prefer to let them stay buried and let the eventual new owner enjoy the beauty they bring to the yard. Besides which, I don't much care for the idea of disturbing the dead, be they human or something more loving than we.
I’m a graveyard fanatic so I’ve been around these things quite alot.
But, then again, maybe my memory fails me (I haven’t actually been able to hunt graveyards in a long time, and my graveyard group doesn’t talk about fun things like that, only legislation and getting people to respect graves). Maybe I’ll ask the other people in my group which it is - “in memoriam” or “in memory of”...Actually, I think it is the latter. Sorry if I messed this up.
Whichever phrase it is, you’d see it only sometimes, and for some of those, it’d be obvious the person was “missing”. Once I ran across quite a monument in a graveyard in CT (I hunted all over there) where it told the story of how the son and a friend went out to CA, got on a ship and were shipwrecked. They raised the monument in that burial ground “in memory of” (yes, I think that is the phrase), knowing they were lost at sea.
I’d agree generally, but a) it’s non-human (besides, we graveyard people are aware of moving graves legitimately all the time) and b) I’m afraid it’ll be disturbed by other people who don’t know about it - end up part of the embankment it’s near, etc. Besides, I ADORED these animals and I hate the idea of them being out of my reach to pay respects.
That reminds me of what Vice President John Nance Garner said, I think it was: “There were two brothers—one went to sea and the other one became Vice President, and nothing was ever heard of either of them again.”
“AND WILL YOU CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO your REMAINS! HA.”
No, but my dog wants me buried with her.
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