Burying your beloved deceased pet in your backyard can sound like the obvious, natural choice. But it’s actually a huge risk. What should be an easy goodbye can become a problem later on, ranging from legal to environmental issues. These are 10 reasons you might want to reconsider before you start digging…
Reason 1: Environmental Contamination
As bodies decompose over time, they typically pull harmful bacteria, toxins, and leftover medications into the soil. These can ultimately drain into groundwater, which could kill animals and plants. This bacteria can even contaminate your drinking water.
Reason 2: Rules and Laws
Many areas have laws against backyard pet burials, requiring minimum burial depths or banning them altogether. Disobeying these laws would render a person liable to fines or prosecution.
Reason 3: Risk of Disease
Pets have germs and illnesses that are contagious even when they are deceased. Rain and erosion will spread the germs and can make other pets, even humans, ill.
Reason 4: Predators & Scavengers
Wild animals, predators, and even your own pets can desecrate the grave, making a mess and causing emotional harm. In an open yard, coyotes or other animals can unearth the remains, possibly unleashing harmful germs and contamination. Your own pets can even unearth the grave too, which could result in unwanted discoveries and emotional upset.
Reason 5: Flooding and Erosion
Heavy rainfall or earth movement can unearth remains, contaminating the site and resulting in costly cleanup operations.
Reason 6: Emotional Impact
A grave in the backyard may seem like a reasonable choice at first, but it can be difficult to cope with over time, potentially prolonging grieving. Plus, home burials of pets could bring on more emotional burdens and prevent you from moving on, the grave becoming a constant reminder of your best friend’s absence.
Reason 7: Home Sales and Relocation Problems
It’s hard to sell your home if new buyers don’t want a pet grave in the yard. If you move, you will need to leave your pet behind or make the dismal choice of exhuming the grave. Plus, burial may affect the look and aesthetics of your yard or garden area, possibly decreasing the value of your property if it becomes a distinguishing characteristic.
Reason 8: Hidden Costs
A backyard burial can seem like the cheaper option, but legal fees, protective measures, or removal expenses can add up.
Reason 9: Unreliable Memorial
Backyard graves can be damaged by building, landscaping changes, or new homeowners who may not care about the site. Over time, the grave might be moved or forgotten.
Reason 10: There Are Better Alternatives
Pet cremation, business pet cemeteries, or biodegradable urns provide a decent farewell minus the hazards of property burial. These can be safer, more reasonable and sometimes even more affordable ways to honor your pet once they’ve passed.
A Better Way to Honor Your Pet
Instead of having your pet buried in the garden, have a special memento like a personalized urn, paw print memorial, or a tree with biodegradable ashes. You can also create your own homemade memorial, such as a custom garden stone or planting a tree in your pet’s memory, which can be a powerful and lasting tribute without the risks of in-ground burial.
Safer Ways to Say Goodbye
A backyard burial might appear to be a nice farewell, but it could be a disaster waiting to happen. Opting for cremation or a pet cemetery is permanent, legal, and safe to memorialize your pet – without the hazard. Although a backyard burial may be tempting, there are several things to consider regarding health, safety, and property value. Cremation, pet cemeteries, or biodegradable urns are all safer, more respectful, and more lasting ways to memorialize your cherished pet.
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