I just saw a commercial on tv where the most expensive cemetery/mausoleum in New Orleans is advertising that our pets deserve the best!

Elaine,

I get that. It’s a common allergy. What I think is weird is that I have worse reactions to certain cats. Some aren’t as bad. I am actually allergic to dogs too, just not as bad. For some reason I have a pretty bad reaction to my daughter’s dog, which is a poodle.

People think if they don’t shed you can’t be allergic but that’s not true. It’s the dander and the saliva and he loves to give kisses. I dog sit for my daughter sometimes and I do have to take Claritin when he’s here. I have asthma too.

My dad had bad allergies. We inherit it. I breast fed because it’s supposed to help with not passing it on. Seems to have helped.

Needhelpwithmom, we had a cat for 17 years and I was never allergic to him. Now I have 3 cats and I am allergic to all 3 of them. I take Claritin D, allergy shots, asthma medicine, and nasonex. When I go see my allergist he knows that I am there for medication to keep my cats. He said slot of people go to the allergist to get medicine so they can keep their cats, lol.

Cali,

So sad he was killed in the line of duty. He truly was a working dog who lost his life being loyal for his community.

They are special dogs and so smart! When I taught school I asked an officer bring in a dog to show the kids how dogs do important work in law enforcement. The kids were amazed with the demonstration that the officer gave.

The search and rescue dogs are amazing. There is so much training involved. The dogs who work with special needs people are incredible as well. They are our best friends, aren’t they?

I can’t see having a burial plot for a pet and I too am the type that considers our pets to be family members! I let them sleep on the bed with me and I have conversations with them all the time. I’ll cremate them and keep them on the fireplace. I’ll bury them in the backyard. But a plot in a pet cemetery is just....not my cup of tea. Won’t ever go that route. We do have a pet cemetery here, it’s in the county area (rural), I’ve been to it once around 14 years ago when one the K-9s with my husbands department was killed in the line of duty, stabbed to death by a mentally ill man. I knew the K-9 and his partner from my civilian days at the PD, his handler used to bring him in to my unit all the time (we worked the same shift) and I just loved him, he was an amazing police dog and very friendly to us gals in the office, I do think he enjoyed coming to see us. Probably because some of us (me lol) snuck him food! He was viciously murdered 2 years after I quit that job. The department put on a full police funeral for him at the events center and there was a long procession out to the pet cemetery, k9s from all over the state attended. It was a very sad day. I have not been back to that cemetery, I don’t even remember where it is after all these years.

Cali,

Cremation is expensive for them. Caring for pets in general is expensive. My daughter’s little dog has Cushing disease now. The lab test are about $300.00. The meds are expensive.

Some people even have pet insurance. We never had it but some of my friends have had it. I think it’s expensive.

Metoo,

Jack in the box! That is too funny! A bronze! Wow!

I know a few people who did portraits of their dogs by local artists and they came out beautifully. Expensive but terrific paintings.

I took lots of photos of our pets. I love having those photos. They are part of the family.

All they want is our love. They love us so much.

Pam,

When my daughter’s hamster died I didn’t want to break her heart. She was only 5. I went out and bought a new hamster and she knew immediately that it wasn’t her hamster.

I tried to get one as closely as I could. It was a ‘teddy bear’ hamster that she called ‘fluffy.’ I had to laugh when she named the second hamster fluffy #2! Kids are so smart!

I guess I should not have tried to trick her. First kid. We live and learn, right?

We buried the hamster in the yard and my daughter gave a eulogy of sorts. Did the same thing with the 2nd hamster. I think we buried the fish too. I don’t recall flushing them.

Elaine,

I always had cats and dogs growing up and I had a cat when I married my hubby too. He had dogs growing up but loved my cat.

Some people don’t like a cat’s independence. I love it. You know what they say, “We live with a cat. They don’t live with us.” So true!

Last two pets were dogs because I am allergic to cats.

We have 3 cats. One of them is a Ragdoll Cat and she is more like a puppy. Her name is Annabelle and she follows me all around and lets me pick her up and baby and coddle her. I am a huge fan of cats. I never had a dog. We never had any animals growing up so we just started having cats after my kids grew up and are older now. But we also have had cats that have died and we would take them to the vet to be cremated and then they would give us a clay paw print. They are like family members. My husband loves cats just as much as I do. They are just like family. But I can't imagine having some fancy cemetetary plot for my cats.

Here in my area of MD our vet offers to have the pet cremated, and then the cremains are sent to a cemetary in a local town that has a "memorial area" for pet owners. They do not have their own "plot", just a general area where I assume they are spread/mixed. My hubs refuses to "plant" the pets, he is afraid he will dig them up by accident( we have several acres and are rural). When our feral was killed a few years ago, he took the body to our vet, I think it was about $75 When I have had to put a pet down it was a bit more,, but worth it to my hubs. If I had to put fluffy on the mantel I'd need a bigger mantel.. In fact he is so squeamish about this that when DDs hamster passed many years ago. poor Tater spend many months in our freezer,, until Mom here "took care of it". I am amazed I can flush dead fish,,,,

My brother and his wife are huge dog lovers. Between them, they brought 5 dogs to their marriage a few years ago. They both work and don't have kids so their dogs are their children and are loved on completely.

My SIL had a dog that got her through some really rough times so she was very attached to that dog. He passed away a couple of years into their marriage.

I talked to my brother a week or so after the dog died and my brother said he was taking a picture of the dog to an artist. I asked, "Oh, are you having a portrait of the dog done?"

He answered, "No, she wants a bronze!"

It was a small dog but she still was amazed with the price...one to many zeroes to make it feasible.

On another note...a neighbor had their Jack Russell cremated and put the ashes in an urn on their mantle. They refer to it as their Jack in the Box!

Our pets really are members of the family!

Cremations for pets are not cheap IMO. We’ve had 2 dogs and my beloved cat Kayla cremated and they are each in a wooden box with an engraved name plate on the fire place. When my beloved Toby died last year, I was too upset to take him to be put down so my husband did it and the quote to euthanize and cremate him was over $400! So he didn’t have him cremated. I will be having my dog Spike cremated regardless of the cost and he will go on the fireplace too.

Polar,

I bet it is higher now. Prices everywhere keep going up. I hate grocery shopping. We spend a fortune and half of it isn’t even food, right?

NHWM- The sister of that same friend of mine passed away several years ago. She told me the son had the body picked up and cremated, all for $700. Price may be higher today probably.

Okay, got curious and checked out the website. As I suspected there is a fancy mausoleum for pets! Starts at $1250 and then goes up to $2000. Interesting. $100 for marker with name.

The graves (price wasn’t listed for plot) sure they are costly with edging up to $850 for the property. Adds up to thousands too.

Or fancy urns if that is your desire as well. You pay for cremation cost too.

It’s a fancy, smancy pet cemetery! Designed for those who can afford it or really want something special I suppose.

They sell memorial jewelry and items with your dog’s paw prints too.

The cemetery is called Heaven’s Pets. Part of Lake Lawn Metairie. Part of the greater New Orleans area.

Polar, cremation for people here is way more than $700. Is that what it is in your area?

A good friend of mine cremated her pet dog, 14 pounds, for $70. I told her that it was very cheap compared to $700 for a person. She said, "Yeah, when I die, just pass me off as a Saint Bernard and have me cremated." Haha.

A couple of years ago, my beloved stray tom cat was hit by a car and died. My husband picked him up from the street, carried him back to our place and buried him in our backyard. My daughter used a large brick and made a tombstone for him. He was very affectionate. He even adopted two feral kittens and shared his food with them. What a guy! I loved that cat and cried for him for days after he died.

But that is different, Cherokee. I totally get that. I think what you did is sweet and a beautiful tribute.

I am talking about a burial in the most expensive cemetery in our area! This cemetery is for the wealthy. Very huge ornate monuments. Tombs with ornamental wrought iron gates. Expensive mausoleum section, etc.

I guess it’s for the pets that belong to these super wealthy families. The commercial just caught me off guard. Know what I mean? Saying they deserved ‘the best.’ Wonder what kind of fancy monuments their animals will have. It just seems like an ego thing to me. Maybe not for some.

Yours is a different sentiment. Yours is a deep love. I loved my animals too but I never thought to do something like you did.

It just didn’t cross my mind. I cried so much that the next day my vet called me at home to see how I was which I thought was very sweet of him.

I kept collars and toys too. Just didn’t think about an urn.

I had my beloved GabbyGrrl cremated and i have a special area for her urn, all her blankets, food bowls, toys, collar and leash, etc. in my apartment. Ive instructed my daughter that when i cross over, i want her to mix mine and GabbyGrrls ashes together.....may sound ridiculous to some people, but i loved that dog more than some people !!! She got me through some very difficult days during my daughters two combat deployments to afghanistan. I now have my daughters two cats, brother and sister, and the male is deaf. They bring me so much joy and help to fill the huge hole left in my heart when gabby crossed over. I know she is waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge and i will be glad to see her too!! We love our furbabies, dont we??
i do know that in some of the cemetaries here in central Florida, there is an area set aside to bury and honor service and law enforcement k9s that have been killed in the line of duty. Every time i visit my dads grave, i always leave something special to honor the k9s too.