jenn- Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 My dog is scheduled to be put down tomorrow. My kids are pretty certain he is supposed to have a burial in the backyard. Any suggestions for this? Should I use a box of some sort? How deep should he go? FWIW, this really sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZooRho Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I'm so sorry. I would make sure you have talked with the vet about what he knows about the "rules" for that too. Do you know if you have laws about it in your city/area? If you can do it in your yard do you know where you can dig with out hitting the utilities under the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 (edited) We've buried lots of dogs through the years but we live in the country. We wrap them in a sheet to bury them. Not to be too graphic, but the hole should be deep enough that a wild animal won't try to dig them up. Course, you might not have to worry about that. Sorry about your dog. It's rough. Edited October 28, 2011 by Remudamom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Well, my dh and I joke that our backyard is turning into a pet cemetery. We have 4 cats, 2 rabbits a beta and a hamster back there. We bury the animals in a cardboard box and my husband digs a hole at least 2 feet deep. You need to make sure it's deep enough so that no other animals will come by and dig up the body. It's easier if you water the spot the day before the "funeral" so that the ground is soft. Whoever has digging duty will appreciate that. I think it's an important ritual and gives the kids comfort. When they were younger, they often made a memorial marker to put on the grave (good size rock and a sharpie pen) and in the summer, the graves were regularly decorated with flowers for the first week or so after the pet's death. I'm sorry for the loss of your dog. That's always hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingnlearning Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I'm sorry. :( Agree, make sure you have an appropriate place and it's legal to do. Have it done ahead of time, maybe if someone can dig it while you're at the vet. Bring a blanket and preferably a box of some sort to bring him home in-make that shape a little less recognizable and I really really recommend having him at least wrapped in a blanket. We always did a little graveside, each kid said goodbye and put something in with him, a favorite stick or toy or written goodbye, said a prayer and we all went in to the house and DH/someone stayed to finish the burial. Looking at the age of your kids I think that would be appropriate for you too. Hang in there. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessAriel Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 We have done this a few times, at our last house and at this one. My dh builds a wooden box, the kids have written things, memories, on the outside of the box, and we bury them, sometimes throwing a few flowers on the box before we fill in the dirt. One dog who died in the winter was kept in a large rubbermaid container til the ground thawed (we have an outside shed and are somewhat in the country). We now have a St. Francis statue where our dogs are buried and a flower pot during the warm weather. I know it is difficult but does bring some peace. :grouphug::grouphug: to your family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I am so sorry. :grouphug: We had to have our dog put down 9 years ago and had plans on burying him in the garden. But our city does not allow it, so the vet was not even able to release the body to us. We opted for cremation, so we could bury the ashes. You might want to ask the vet prior, as we were very taken aback and distraught when told - at the last minute - that we couldn't have the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 :grouphug:I'm so sorry. If you are able to do it, then go ahead. They will probably give you the dog in a bag. Sorry, I know that's hard to think about. You might want to bring a box along with you if you can't handle bringing him home in a bag. You can bury him in the bag, or put the bag in a box. As others stated, make sure the hole is deep enough to keep other animals away. If you have other pets who go outdoors, you might need to keep an eye on them for a month or so to make sure they don't find the spot. The house my family owned for 40 years (I sold it after my mom passed in 2008) has 4 dogs and 3 cats buried in the back yard. The house dh had when I met him, where we lived the first 8 years of our marriage, has a cat and a hamster buried in the backyard. The house we live in now has a dog, a cat, and a Leopard Gecko buried in the backyard. And all three houses are in suburban neighborhoods. It can be done if done properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 We have buried several of our chihuahuas over the years. We always wrap them in a blanket and then put them in a shoebox. Dig the hole deep (as pps have said.) We also put in a layer of charcoal in the bottom of the hole and them over the top of the box before putting the dirt back in the hole. Our vet told us to do this as the charcoal absorbs the decomposing odor and thus, keeps away other animals. :grouphug: to your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 and then bury the remains. Lower stress in some ways, and less risk of having your pet dug up by another animal. Hard to think about. I'm so sorry. This is one of life's very sad passages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 Thank you for all the suggestions. We live outside the city limits and can pretty much do whatever we want out here. We have no neighbors to our back, so I am pretty sure we won't have problems in that regard. My mom has had all of her pets cremated, but we cannot afford the cost right now. As it is, it is going to hurt us spending the amount to have him put down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I'm sorry for your loss. One thing my dad taught me; If you have a BBQ pit or fireplace, take the ashes and pour into or over the grave. It helps cover the smell of decomp, and prevents other animals from digging it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl in NM Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 If it's a bigger dog we wrap them in a sheet or their favorite blanket. If it's a smaller animal we wrap them in a towel, washcloth, favorite piece of fabric and put them in a box. I agree with others, make sure you bury deep enough. Animals can smell through the dirt. We usually pile rocks on the fresh earth and remove them after spring. So sorry for your loss. I'm glad you going to do this for yourself as well as for your children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: So sorry! We will be doing this too within the year, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weaver_67579 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 we cremate ours (and they will be burried with me), but see that is not possible for you right now. I agree with the other posters. It will come in a bag. Leaving it in the bag will also help some with odors, charcoal helps and dig the hole as deep as possible. The idea of hosing down the dirt to help with digging is a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 Thank you for the continued thoughts. I am not looking forward to digging a 2-3 foot hole in red clay, but I will do what I need to do. I am going to go to the craft store and see if I can find a nice fabric to whip up a quick bag for him and maybe a nice box. Unfortunately he is a medium sized dog and I don't know if they will have a big enough nice box that I can afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne115 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 When we had my 19 year old toy poodle put to sleep, they returned him in a box. You might check to see if your vet provides a box too. I'm sorry. It is very hard to lose a beloved pet. Suzanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennay Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 When we had our cat put to sleep over the summer, the vet said something like, "It's illegal to bury an animal in your backyard in our county, but I won't ask what you are going to do with the body and make sure the hole is at least 3 feet deep." Now, DH and I are law-abiding citizens - very much rule-followers in every way, but there was no way we weren't bringing him home with us. I guess I'm a law-breaker now. We brought him home in a cardboard box provided by the vet and buried him in a towel. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awtl Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I so sorry for your loss. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZooRho Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 the following may be tough to read. I had a friend who had a larger dog. I do think they had him put to sleep at the vets. But they brought him home and before he got stiff she curled him up as small as she could. She said she just kept rubbing him and getting him in a tighter curl that she could. I know we had our's cremated and it is expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I'm so sorry :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H_Household Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 We just had to put our dog of 10 years down last week....so I understand and feel for your family. Praying your family can remember the fun and wonderful times you had together. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 Well we had it done this morning. My daughter and I were a mess. They put him in a bag in a cardboard box for us. My FIL ended up transferring him to his burial bag out of the box. It was black with white bones all over it. Digging the hole proved to be as fun as expected. We broke a large tiller in the process. The electric tiller laughed. Said FIL had to bring up the small gas tiller to get it done. Did I mention we live on solid red clay? It wasn't as deep as I wanted, but they did the best that they could. He is a solid 18" at least and inside the fence line so hopefully the remaining dog won't try to use the loosened dirt as an escape route. Thanks for all the encouragement. Here is a picture taken of him last week before his face blew up like a stuffed sausage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZooRho Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I'm so sorry. It hurts so bad to lose a pet:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 We've buried lots of dogs through the years but we live in the country. We wrap them in a sheet to bury them. Not to be too graphic, but the hole should be deep enough that a wild animal won't try to dig them up. Course, you might not have to worry about that. Sorry about your dog. It's rough. Same here. My dh always put heavy rocks on the top to discourage any animal digging... Blessings to you. This is a hard road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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