Permanent Status for Pet Cemeteries

To advocate for pet cemeteries to acquire governmental status as protected sites in perpetuity – a prerequisite for green burial options.

Need

A deterrent to green pet-burials is the lack of permanent status among pet cemeteries. If not deeded in perpetuity, cemetery land may someday be sold and/or developed for other purposes, at which time the remains will need to be relocated.

When we lay a loved one to rest in a cemetery, it is with the idea that it will be forever. Yet while this is commonly the case with human cemeteries, state cemetery laws that regulate human cemeteries do not apply to pet cemeteries. The possibility for selling or developing cemetery land may lead some pet cemetery owners to promote – or even require – plastic caskets or metal containers in order to facilitate the possible relocation of pet remains in the future.

Actions

We encourage pet cemeteries to have their burial grounds deeded in perpetuity, as encouraged by the International Association Of Pet Cemeteries & Crematories (IAOPCC). Families in the process of pre-planning a burial at a pet cemetery, and those who already have their pet’s body buried at one, are encouraged to let the pet cemetery owner know that they want the cemetery to be deeded in perpetuity.

Some pet cemeteries have successfully secured permanent status:

Models

• Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park, Calabasas, CA
• Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, Hartsdale, NY

Additionally, we promote gravesites that are permanent and not open to disinterment (unless a family requests that their pet’s remains be disinterred for cremation or re-interment elsewhere).

photo credit: cat on branch, flickr.com, zenera

updated November 26, 2015