Sorry for the grusome topic but I think its something worth discussing. I was watching BBC news this morning and they were discussing people who take things with them when they sell their house - some (allegedly) dig up their burried pets!

So, my question, do you bury your pets, let the vet cremate them or something else?

Is it wrong to flush dead pets or to put them in the bin?

I have only ever lost small pets - 3 snakes and bearded dragons - so burrial isn't a problem now I own my property. I couldn't when I was renting - I remember the neighbours warning me in one house that there was a cat burried at the back of the garden so not to dig there.

Also, I wondered what this did to the ground? I burried my beardie over 5m away from where I grow veg as they have salmonella in their system. Its horrible having to make these considerations.

Our late cat is at the top of our garden but I was way too young to have a say in that.

The cats I have now are my mum's really so it's her choice when all's said and done but the dogs will be my decision and they will be cremated.

I've been thinking about Eddy recently and what to do with his ashes (when the time comes) - because he loves his freedom and loves to explore the woods, I thought about scattering him there but then I think how when we're at home he always has to be close to you - touching you in some way and I get all sentimental wondering if scattering would be too 'abandonning', but then is keeping his ashes in an urn too captive? Then I remember that it's just his body and tell myself to stop being stupid!!

I'd like to keep all my dogs ashes in those lovely cat and dog shaped urns until I die, and then have my ashes mixed with theirs and scattered somewhere. Thing is (I hope) it'll mean me keeping their ashes a long time!!

I read in this month's Your Dog that someone who lost their cat buried it in the garden but the dog and cat were such good friends that she came downstairs to find the dog had dug the cat up and was asleep with it in his bed!!

Until Merlin died I had always buried my little ones, but I came to the realisation that there is no longer any space in my garden that isn't covered by shrubs and trees where I could dig to bury her, so I have switched to cremation. I think that the size of the animal also has to be considered- a 30kg german shepherd would need a serious sized hole and so I can guarantee that there's no space in the garden for when she pops her little clogs.

I wouldn't dispose of any of my animals in a bin, although I'm not exactly sure why, and I wouldn't flush them either ( but that's because my sister is a chemical engineer specialising in waste and recycling, so I know of the problems that it could create at the sewage treatment works).

I used to bury all my guinea's, but I soon ran out of space. I have to admit I do bin most now, unless its a tiny baby then I can't bear to do it

Very few of my animals have died at home, its usually a trip to the vets with them, my rabbit Clover who died last year unexpectedly is buried at the bottom of the garden, in the past the rats etc have gone in the bin but I always felt horrible for doing it, and did it as nicely as I could by waiting till the emptying day and wrapping them up kindly and putting them on the top, I could never bear the thought of them being in with the "rubbish" :sad:
The bigger animals I always leave with the vet, because I would hate to bury them then move, and I have memories and photo's, I don't feel that I need a grave, I am the same with people too.

Our cats and dogs were always taken to the vets to be cremated - the fish were flushed down the toilet (I liked to think maybe that wat is they came back to life they were in water :huh:) As for my hamsters when they go I have no idea what I will do with them as I am in a flat now with no garden, I dont think I could bring myself to bin them - think i will do to a park in the middle of the night and bury them there!

We have a small spot in our large garden where we've created a small burial area for friends tinies.

Thanks everyone, this thread has really helped me with my thoughts on the matter. In my rented days I did have to 'bin' them but like Moonbird I wrapped them up (and usually put a message on the side) but I would bury it in the rubbish as I didn't like the idea of the binmen seeing it and freaking.

I regret not getting Danny's ashes when he passed away but with the number of animals I have I'd need a room for all the urns (same applied when I thought of plaques in the garden). Its probably better that I let go.

We buried our cat in the garden when he got run over, but then when we were thinking of moving house I felt awful. I couldn't stop thinking about leaving him behind. It almost made me not want to move, but then my hubby said we can't live in a house for the rest of our lives because Peanut is in the back garden, and he was right. So I told myself it was only his body there, and that was the garden he loved, but his spirit would come with us. My husband also found digging the hole and laying his body in there really, really upsetting, so I think in future I would choose to cremate.

I saw something once where you can have a stone made out of the ashes, thats a nice idea I think, don't know how much it is though, probably cost a fortune.

all the cats weve owned since moving here are buried in the yard (except the first stray we adopted- he was cremated). Weve also got a selection of gerbils, goldfish, stick insects (I kid you not) and our cockatiel. The yard is almost all paved now so what we're going to do next time I have no idea - probably dig up paving slabs. Cremation is an option but very expensive and you can't always be sure you'll get back your own pets. Mine were buried looking as if they'd only just fallen asleep.

Oh- my mums ashes are buried under the arch - we had no idea what to do with them so I decided to keep them somewhere close until we think of an alternative!

Since I buried my first cat in the garden and then moved I have felt guilty ever since, the thought that he is in someone elses garden and they may well have dug him up now haunts me. I have had the rest of my pets privately cremated (so as to be sure it is my pet and not a mix of others). My sister has our two horses Pride and AJ at her house (and they are seriously massive caskets) and I have Gem the dog at mine.

My sister and I have decided that from now all our pets will be privately cremated and whoever goes first, they will be put in with us.

I was told years ago that you are not meant to bury pets in the garden, due to the chemicals released into the earth, not sure how true this is though.:confused:

I've only had two losses. One was 13yr old Yorkie, and we had her cremated and spread her ashes over her favourite stomping ground (Coombe Abbey) and Kai (rat) who we buried in the garden and planted a shrub on top.

If we loose a member of our sled-dog team, we have them cremated, and scatter their ashes in the forest we train them to run in.
their such a free spirited breed who live to run, and just dont seem right to keep them confined to a little cask, so we 'set them free' in the one place they are most happy

^^ agree with you there

I Bury my pets... if the die at the vets i bring them home... for me its a must.... its my way of letting go.. the way i look at it is... if there deep enough they will be fine.... my home is rented, and with the pets i have a few years down the line its gonna be a pet cemetery.... i dont mean to be disrespectful to future tenants but this is my home for now and as long as i do what i see as right like laying them to rest deep enough in areas that i think they will be ok... then so be it.

all my little furries as i grew up were burried at our old house under the hedges, since ive had my own home ive had my pets cremetated, i have 3 dogs so far on my fireplace and with 6 still here and im sure ill have lots more during my life i may need a shelving system. I have thought about one big urn that i can have plaques added for each dog and then when i die ive told my family my ashes must be put with my dogs ashes, itll be a great big pile i know but its how i feel, i adore them all. I could never scatter them, i know the spirits free for me the ashes are just a sense of them still been around. Call me mad but they are like my children and i cant bear to let them go. anna.x.

Two of our cats are buried in the garden, and one was cremated. When the time comes I think I'll go for cremation in future.

Burying those two was so hard, and when we do leave it will seem a little strange leaving them behind.

2003 was my worst year- I lost 5 cats in 4 months- September (Skweek, our old boy), October (Aragorn - our first baby Norwegian Forest Cat), November (Scarlet, our oldest girl) and December (brother and sister Felix on 22nd and Oscar on Christmas Day, both aged 14 years). I had flu, my other half was at his mum's and I remember having to dig a hole and burying my old boy late in the afternoon whilst 'My Fair Lady' was still on - used to be my favourite musical but can't bear to watch it now. And then early in 2004, my late mum's old cat Tigger passed away we'd adopted him - that left us with one of the originalk cats - Minty -she's 10 now, and of course the posh baby cats we got because we knew our oldies wouldnt be with us forever.

I have my mums dog Bonnie in a small urn on a shelf in my living room with her collar wrapped around it. Thats what my mum wants, until God forbid, anything happens to her, then she wants to take Bonnie with her, and I respect that.
I have an 11 year old Alsation cross called Lassie, and I will have her cremated when the time comes (hopefully not for a while yet, because I rescued her as a puppy and my heart will break)
She is one of the family, and in my opinion, she will be respected as so when she goes to doggy heaven.
Its an 'each to their own' decision I think. as long as you've done the thing that feels right for you, thats the main thing.

Lisa.