Pets are givers — of unconditional love, loyalty, companionship, of a sense of security and belonging. They're our counsellors, friends and family, all rolled into one. Not surprisingly, more and more families are honouring their pets with compassionate funerals and spiritual ceremonies, while pet cemeteries and crematoriums in urban areas are catering to a growing need for dignity in the time of death of man’s best friends.
Sheetal R had to bid farewell to her beloved Dalmatian Spikey, who gave up fighting a prolonged battle with illness last November. She chose to cremate Spikey at the pet crematorium off Magadi Road in Bengaluru and immersed his ashes in a quiet stream near Thotikallu Falls off Kanakapura Road, at a serene spot that she felt was everything her pet symbolised.
During a year-long battle for her pet's life, Sheetal did everything to help him — from buying a treadmill for his exercise, to a 'Bach flower' treatment, acupuncture sessions, travelling to pet-friendly resorts and buying rehab aids. She sought out reiki healers and an animal communicator for help too.
“Spikey was an explorer and a gentle, spiritual soul and it had to be flowing water for his ashes. I chanted and played soulful melodies for two days before he left as I wanted his soul to carry happy memories,” she explained. Said Rekha Satyashankar, a teacher and art enthusiast, whose family has had three pets thus far, “People say time heals, but it doesn’t really fill the void. Our first one, Blackie, died in 1998 and she was buried in GKVK campus, while the second one, Cookie, died very young in 2010 and was similarly buried. My husband and I spiralled into depression and we brought home our labrador, Blanco, to help us heal. He left quietly this January, 11 years old, after a brief illness. We are still unable to deal with this pain. We cremated him and brought his ashes home to our garden and planted something beautiful over it to remind us of our beloved pet.”
Grief runs long
Nidhi and Tarun Nahata, who run a cafe in upscale Sadashivanagar, were pet parents to a great Dane called Zorro, who had to be put to sleep last month because of multiple ailments. A month before he crossed over, Zorro developed complications leading to the agonising decision that no pet parent wants to take, Tarun explained. Nidhi felt that Zorro, being a spiritual soul, needed a farewell that made his journey onward peaceful. In what could be described as a uniquely spiritual ceremony, the family’s friend Meenal Nigam offered to do a special puja before Zorro left. “She did the maha mruthyunjya jaap for 108 times and performed a havan in the presence of Zorro and my family. We are still grieving, but through his memories, we are learning to feed positivity into our lives,” said Nidhi.
It’s not just dogs, but cats too are treated with a lot of respect when they die. Ruth Chandy, a former teacher, mentioned that her family has always welcomed cats into their midst. “Our most special one was a black kitten adopted from CUPA. We called her Bathsheba after she made a miraculous recovery from an infection. She lived for 10 years. When we moved into an independent house, Bathsheba found herself a partner and frequently went out at night. One night, she was attacked by a pack of stray dogs and succumbed. We brought her home, buried her in our garden and planted a creeper at the spot. Watching the creeper grow, we felt Bathsheba was still with us. Our grief ran long,” Ruth added.
Tarun and Celia Cherian, spiritual guides, animal whisperers, aura readers and co-founders of a Spiritist centre, agree that pet funerals are getting spiritual in nature. “Any animal you care for, not just dogs, but cats and birds also develop deep connections with humans and people want to plan a funeral for them,” said Celia. Tarun Cherian, however, felt it was an urban thing to do. “In the West, pet burials are more of a marketing exercise. But the concept of pet farewells has caught on here too.” And with rising spiritual awareness, more people are turning towards prayers, rituals, healers and communicators. However, he cautions against 'communicating' with a departed pet.
In death, one goes alone. That's true of pets too. The right thing to do, therefore, is care for them while they are alive so that their passing is as peaceful and dignified as possible.