Cremation Services upon the Death of a Companion Animal: Views of Service Providers and Service Users

Abstract

There is no systematic research on the rites and rituals associated with companion animal death in modern Australian society. Three cremation service providers were interviewed and asked to consider which caretakers have their companion animals cremated. Seven people who had recently had a companion animal cremated were then asked about their views on the process. Five interrelated themes emerged from the two data sets about who uses cremation services for companion animals: "Everyone uses companion animal cremation services"; "People who consider the companion animal as a family member, as a child"; "People who want memorials for their companion animals"; "Grieving people"; and "People who seek compassion and social support." With scant recognition of the impact of companion animal death and the role of rites and rituals in facilitating the grieving process, further research in the area is needed, including into attachment as a possible mediator.

Companion Animal Death

“…This is reflected in high percentages of animal ownership among U.S. households with 36.5% owning dogs, 30.4% cats, 3.1% birds, and 1.5% horses (American Veterinary Medical Association, 2012) and in the common view of companion animals as members of the family (Albert & Bulcroft, 1988; Cohen, 2002). This phenomenon of embracing animals as part of the family is evident in usage of pet cemetery burials and gravestones (Brandes, 2009), cremation services (Chur-Hansen, Black, Gierasch, Pletneva, & Winefield, 2011), and referrals to companion animals among surviving family members in human obituaries (Wilson, Netting, Turner, & Olsen, 2013). This perspective is further validated through companion animals being incorporated into the core family studies literature (Walsh, 2009) as part of the normal family process.…”

Euthanasia in Dogs Under Primary Veterinary Care in the UK: Frequency and Risk Factors

“…A similar proportion of euthanased dogs were buried (5.7%) compared with dogs that died unassisted (6.2%). In a previous study, Chur-Hansen et al (2011) found that owners needed memorials, such as an animal's ashes, to help them move through the grieving process, with some owners stating it felt as if their animal was not completely gone 80 . It is possible that owners whose dogs died unassisted may have desired to keep their dog's remains (either through individual cremation or home burial) to aid in processing the grief of their loss.…”

Pet Grief: When is Non-Human Life Grievable?

“…Chur‐Hansen et al . () suggest from empirical evidence that pet owners often lack guidelines for how to grieve their pets, but nevertheless often seek to manifest their grief in a memorial of some sort. Hirschman (: 624) has noted that there seems to be a ‘cultural hierarchy’ of pets: mammal species are often grieved similarly to humans, while owners show little affection towards, for example, fish, which many see as ‘not really alive’ in the first place.…”

“…Stephens and Hill (1996), for example, showed that many pet owners try to give meaning to their pets' demise and that when pets pass away, owners emphasize the role that their pets played in their lives. Chur-Hansen et al (2011) suggest from empirical evidence that pet owners often lack guidelines for how to grieve their pets, but nevertheless often seek to manifest their grief in a memorial of some sort. Hirschman (1994: 624) has noted that there seems to be a 'cultural hierarchy' of pets: mammal species are often grieved similarly to humans, while owners show little affection towards, for example, fish, which many see as 'not really alive' in the first place.…”

“…Stephens and Hill (1996), for example, showed that many pet owners try to give meaning to their pets' demise and that when pets pass away, owners emphasize the role that their pets played in their lives. Chur-Hansen et al . (2011) suggest from empirical evidence that pet owners often lack guidelines for how to grieve their pets, but nevertheless often seek to manifest their grief in a memorial of some sort.…”