Ah, yes, another article picked up by my Google Alert about pet funerals. Actually it was a blog that was exploring the question “How much is too much to spend on your pet’s funeral?”
I personally find these types of conversations absolutely astounding! In fact, almost uncomfortably embarrassing! After all, who on earth would think that it would be appropriate to tell another person what’s acceptable to spend on ANYTHING?
Furthermore, being a veteran of the funeral industry, it was never, ever in any of my training to learn how to guide a family on what’s acceptable to spend on their loved one’s final service. I never heard “If you loved Mom enough, you’d buy this casket” or ” that type of casket doesn’t really show how much you loved your husband, does it?” Rather it was about a service and the memorialization pieces that provided the most VALUE to the family in creating this final tribute. The VALUE of the services and memorialization pieces, right? There was nothing in this process that equated the amount of love to the amount of money spent. Quite the contrary – our goal was to provide a service where the value of the service delivered far outweighed any amount of money spent!
But, I find it almost amusing that people are forthright with these opinions when it comes to pets. For those that aren’t pet parents, there are opinions on what’s “acceptable” to spend on any type of pet care and ultimately on the final arrangements for the pet. And, the only time that scrutiny comes into play is when it’s “too much.” Whatever that number is – based on each person’s own opinion! Gosh, this is almost like AARP telling seniors what’s “appropriate” to spend on a funeral for your mother. Appropriate based on what? And, what would the funeral industry do with that little move?!
62% of our society has a pet. And, as a pet parent, I, as well as other pet parents, take pride in being a responsible pet parent. It’s what we sign up for when we take one of these furry creatures into our homes. It’s an option that we have that we knowingly and willingly commit to when we accept this role.
But, it’s a role that for the 38% of our population leaves us open to shame and criticism. When all we want to do is celebrate these little creatures when they are alive – and pay tribute to them when they die. Quite frankly, we don’t ask that the 38% understand it or agree with it – just respect it.
Pay tribute in a way that’s right for us! And, let me be the one to determine what’s the right amount to pay for this type of honor! It’s what I WANT to do!
