Would you ever preserve your dog after their passing?

[Courtney]

Originally Posted by Freestep

I don't want to be buried or cremated either. I'd love to be thrown out onto the African savannah and have wild animals eat me, but I don't think that's plausible.

My dad knows someone who donated his body to The Body Farm in Tennessee.

[Wild Wolf]

Wow. That's... creepy.

I wouldn't. Definitely not. I would, however, keep ashes and some locks of fur and create a nice display for my dog in somewhere in my home.

[shannonrae]

Originally Posted by Freestep

I'm not sure if ALL vets send the bodies to the local rendering plant, but it's fairly common practice. I think perhaps "communal cremation" is a euphemistic way of saying "rendering plant". Either way, it's recycling.

I have worked at 5 different vet clinics. Never at any of them were pets sent to a rendering plant. The pets whose ashes are not returned to the owner get a general cremation, this means that many pets are cremated together and ashes are spread somewhere (usually an employees garden or something to that effect).

[Narny]

Originally Posted by shannonrae

I have worked at 5 different vet clinics. Never at any of them were pets sent to a rendering plant. The pets whose ashes are not returned to the owner get a general cremation, this means that many pets are cremated together and ashes are spread somewhere (usually an employees garden or something to that effect).

Well at least thats a way of doing something useful with the remains.

[Narny]

Originally Posted by Courtney

My dad knows someone who donated his body to The Body Farm in Tennessee.

I dont think I could do that... I know that the body is just a shell and all that, but I have seen those body farms... no thank you.

[LaneyB]

What is a body farm?

[Courtney]

Originally Posted by LaneyB

What is a body farm?

It's a highly secured research facility where they study human decomposition in various settings. Extreme heat, in cars, under water, and on and on. This helps with forensic testing and the bodies are donated.

I could never do this.

[jennyp]

Originally Posted by Courtney

It's a highly secured research facility where they study human decomposition in various settings. Extreme heat, in cars, under water, and on and on. This helps with forensic testing and the bodies are donated.

I could never do this.

Have you read Stiff by Mary Roach? She writes about the various ways human bodies are used when they are donated to science. She talks about this in her book. It's fascinating!

But to answer the OPs question- Ahh!! No way!! That rug is just..weird. And wrong.

[Courtney]

Originally Posted by jennyp

Have you read Stiff by Mary Roach? She writes about the various ways human bodies are used when they are donated to science. She talks about this in her book. It's fascinating!

But to answer the OPs question- Ahh!! No way!! That rug is just..weird. And wrong.

I actually have that book a friend gave it to me years ago but I have so many books that I want to read and have not got to it yet

I admit to having a morbid curiosity to an extent, cannot look at anything animal related tho.

[Caitydid255]

Never a rug! We bury our pets in a hand-dug grave. Teddy was buried in one of his favorite resting spots by the pool shed at my parents'. Franklin's ashes were right next to him. We used to have a large beech tree which served as our pet cemetery, when the pool went in we marked the graves and put the patio over them so nobody would ever dig them up. Hubby's family has a similar pet cemetery and the same rules apply. Although they have heavy equipment, all graves are hand dug in memory of that pet.

I am conflicted as to what we should do with our current pets once they pass as we don't plan to live in our current house for the rest of our lives and I don't like the idea of leaving them with strangers. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. Too sad to think of that now.