It is not a topic you like to think about. Yet every dog owner will ever have to deal with the death of his dog. Losing your dog is a painful and profound experience. A dog is a close part of the family. After death, you have to make a quick decision about what will happen to the body. There are several ways to say goodbye to your dog. The most common options are burial, cremation or destruction.
To bury
Buried at home
You can bury your dog in your own yard. There are conditions attached to this: the dog may not be wrapped in plastic and the grave must be at least one meter deep to prevent other animals from digging up the cadaver. Keep in mind that half an hour to an hour after death, rigidity occurs. After that it is no longer possible to put your dog in a different position. If you bury your dog in the garden, you can give your dog a dignified goodbye in a completely personal way. You can give substance to a farewell ritual and say goodbye to your dog in peace. You can easily involve any children in the ceremony at home. For example, let them choose and paint a beautiful stone for the grave or plant a plant on the grave in memory. Many dog owners find it comforting to keep the dog close. Burying your dog in the garden has the added advantage that it does not entail any costs.
Animal cemetery
You can also choose to have your dog buried in an animal cemetery. There are several animal cemeteries in the Netherlands, usually located in a quiet and green environment. You can rent a grave for a minimum period (varies from one to five years) with the option to renew per year (or for several years). If you hand over the funeral, there are many possibilities. You can transport the dog yourself or have it picked up. You can decide to bury your dog in his favorite blanket or basket, but you can also choose a box just for the occasion. You can give the grave a personal character with a memorial stone or other commemorative items. The great thing is that you can always visit the grave, even if you move or if you don’t have your own garden. The rates for having your dog buried in an animal cemetery vary widely. On average, the costs for a funeral, including five years of funeral rights, for a medium-sized dog are 275 euros. The burial rent for any subsequent years amounts to an average of 30 euros per year. Any costs for transporting your dog to the animal cemetery are exclusive.
Cremation
During a cremation, the body is burned in a respectful manner. After the death of your dog, you can transport your dog to a pet crematorium or have the transport arranged by the pet crematorium. You have to make a choice whether you want to have your dog cremated individually or collectively.
Collective cremation
In a collective cremation, your dog is cremated together with other pets. The ashes of your dog and other pets are scattered on a specially designated field. The rates for a collective cremation depend on the weight of your dog and vary per pet crematorium. For a dog weighing between 10-20 kg, a collective cremation, including ashes scattering, costs an average of 95 euros.
Individual cremation
There are many more options for individual cremation. Your dog will be cremated on its own and this means that you can take home an urn containing your dog’s ashes. You can then choose to keep the ashes in the urn or to scatter it in a special place. You can also keep part of the ashes in an object or use it for an ashes jewelry. The rates for an individual cremation depend on the weight of your dog and vary per pet crematorium. For an individual cremation, the rates, excluding urn, are on average 135 euros.
Destruction
When your dog has died, you can leave the bodily remains with your vet for destruction, also known as destruction. You don’t have to do anything else. Sometimes there are misunderstandings about destruction, it is sometimes confused with collective cremation. In practice, many dog owners do not know exactly what it means to have your dog destroyed. The vet keeps the body in a cold room, where other dead animals are also stored. The rendering company will periodically collect the dead animals and transport them in large containers to the rendering plant. There, all animals and other animal material, such as offal, are destroyed. This means that the bodies are broken, pasteurized and sterilized. Then the mass that remains is evaporated, dried and separated into flour and fats. These are safe and usable fuels that can be used to generate energy. The costs for destruction depend on the weight of your dog. For a dog weighing between 10-22 kg, the costs are on average 17.50 euros. In addition, the vet can charge mediation costs and / or transport costs. In case of euthanasia, you often pay one rate, in which these costs have already been included by the vet. Destruction is always cheaper than having your dog collectively or individually cremated or buried in an animal cemetery.
