What should be done after the death of our dog or kitten?

What should be done after the death of our dog or kitten? Every dog or cat owner sooner or later has to say goodbye to his friend. When our four-legged friend dies, we feel a great loss. We don’t know what to do with ourselves, and unfortunately we still have to deal with the formalities regarding the body of our beloved pet. What does the law say? What should be done after the death of our dog or kitten? Let’s check it.

What does the law say?

Having pets in your home is a fantastic thing. They make us happy every day. What’s more, they love us unconditionally. The years spent with your little ones are wonderful. During our life together, we don’t even want to think about what will happen when our pet leaves us. What about this situation? Unfortunately, the vast majority of pets live only a few or more years. This period passes very quickly. After the death of our pet, there is an incredible void and a dilemma.

What should we do with our pet’s body? We may be surprised, but pet owners do not have too much freedom in this matter. We must immediately point out that it is not allowed to bury our pet’s body on your own. We can’t even do it in our own backyard garden.

So what does the law require? The law is consistent here and says that the remains of the animal (regardless of its size) should be disposed of or buried in a special cemetery for four-legged pets. People who decide to bury the body of their beloved pet against the law can get a fine of between PLN 20 and PLN 500. The justification for the mandate is the contamination of the ground with carrion. In some cases, it may even end with drawing up an application for punishment to the appropriate court. You should be aware of this.

Putting an animal to sleep in the hospital

If our dog or cat was euthanized in a veterinary clinic, the doctor will probably make a proposal. What are we talking about? He will offer us to leave the body of our pet and transport it for disposal. Each animal clinic that operates in our country must have a signed contract with a given facility.

When our pet passes away at home, we have two options. Firstly, we can take his body to one of the nearest veterinary clinics, and secondly, we can order the collection of the body from one of the disposal companies. What is the cost of disposing of our pet’s body? It probably depends on the specific city, but the average cost is about PLN 10 per kilogram of our animal’s body weight. In such a sad situation, the price really does not matter much.

Burying a pet at a pet cemetery

Many people decide to bury their dog or kitten in a special cemetery for animals. This is a good solution for people who do not want to give their pet to a waste incineration plant, where it can even be disposed of with garbage. We want a proper burial for our loved one. After all, we had endless friendship and love.

In our country, unfortunately, the law is not always on the side of people who would like to bury their pet on their own. If we do not want to dispose of the body of our beloved quadruped, but bury and say goodbye to a friend in accordance with applicable law, we should use the above-mentioned cemeteries for animals.

There were assurances from the authorities that there would be more cemeteries for animals. However, that did not happen. There are really few pet cemeteries in our country, and there are more and more people who want to bury their pets in this way. Although modern cemeteries for animals were supposed to contain only symbolic graves, on which the plaque with the pet’s data was visible, they quickly turned into miniature versions of real human cemeteries. Next to the symbolic graves, there are also beautiful tombstones.

They often have pictures of animals on them. On the graves we will find candles, flowers, bowls of quadrupeds and even favorite toys. Is it an excess of form over substance? There are people who think so, but let’s remember that for many people it is a kind of therapy to deal with this situation and the loss of a loved one.

We must make it clear to ourselves that times have changed. With the passage of time, pets began to be treated as companion animals. Once they were only perceived in a utilitarian way. They guarded the house, caught rodents, or helped at work. Once upon a time, adults who referred to their pets as family members were considered eccentric.

The proportions are now reversed. Everyone now proudly says that pets are treated the same as other family members. This is the right approach, which means that violence against animals rarely occurs. So, there are more and more activists on the market who fight for a decent life for animals that have not been so lucky in their lives. Let’s take care of our four-legged friends and do not hurt them.