Every pet (urban or rural) deserves an honourable farewell

When the pets we most love and adore pass away, they inevitably take a part of our soul with them. But when it comes to their final resting place, we always run from pillar to post. Lack of designated burial grounds or crematoria for pets in urban zones, insensitive neighbours and stringent regulations around performing the last rites of our furred buddies are some of the common hindrances we face.

In this scenario, a pet service provider has come up with an innovative concept to put our pets to rest. India got its first mobile crematorium for pets when ‘mLoyal Pet Management launched its service at Jaipur in September (2017). The service addresses a major pain point for pet lovers and parents, who were hitherto handicapped by a Ministry of Environments and Forests regulation. The rule allows burial of pets only in rural and semi-urban pockets with population not exceeding five lakh and prohibits the practice in overpopulated cities.

With the new service, Jaipur pet owners can have the crematorium roll right into their front or backyard. It, however, comes with a caveat: the onus is upon them to cajole and convince their nosy neighbours. When that option is ruled out, they can take their pet’s mortal remains to a remote destination and still utilise the mobile crematorium’s services. That leads to a moot point: what about other Indian cities?

Urban dwellers from the rest of the country still have to put up with their neighbours or hunt for a faraway destination for their pets’ final journey. Wouldn’t a mobile crematorium or a similar service make their lives easier? It’s highly desirable that civic authorities, pet lovers and other citizens put some serious thought into it and have a useful service implemented in their town.

After all, every pet deserves an honourable farewell.