Alright folks, this is going to be short and far from academic; I’ve written way too much about death today.
While scrambling to find something to blog about, I looked up “pet funerals” half jokingly, and came across a very interesting (amusing) newspaper article, and an even more interesting (hilarious) website. As you may have gathered at this point, I am in no way convinced that society needs this business as another drain on their bank accounts!
Regardless, let us explore what a pet funeral entails…
According to the Vancouver Sun newspaper, Coleen Ellis of Indianapolis runs a pet funeral home – the first ever set up in the United States. I couldn’t determine specifically what sorts of services Coleen offers, but learned that a woman with a similar franchise right here in Victoria charges between $275-$450 for the ceremony.
Obviously there are people who grieve differently from myself, and I suppose you could even argue that this is a nice alternative to leaving your pet to be cremated after its demise in the Veterinary clinic. However, I feel as though this is over the top – do we really need to anthropomorphize our pets to the point where we call ourselves “parents” to them?
However, outside of cats, I am NOT an animal person. I loved all the cats I have ever owned, and I have a tattoo of some cats on my shoulder – No matter how much I love a pet, I just wouldn’t be able to 1. justify spending the money on a funeral and 2. take the whole process seriously. Maybe these people feel as though honouring the pet in some way helps put to rest, or maybe it is a purely selfish ceremony, I just do not understand it. But like I said, not an animal person; maybe I’m missing something here!
I went to this woman’s website, and was astounded at the complexity of her company. Not only does Ms. Ellis offer services, but she has expanded to include lessons for veterinary hospitals on how to grieve council properly, and how to set up similar institutions to her own. Her video messages were very sweet, and she seems to genuinely care about her work and her clients, but it just seems so obsessive to me.
Anyway, that’s enough about that I think. Peace out.
Vancouver Sun article:
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/funerals+When+four+paws+feet+under/3665190/story.html
Coleen’s site:
http://www.twoheartspetlosscenter.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment