What is a Pet Cemetery or Crematorium?

Sadly, under many jurisdictions pets and their mortal remains are classified as waste. In order to operate crematory equipment for the purposes of cremating companion animals in the State of Texas, the operator needs an air permit by rule issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and follow the regulations defined in Chapter 330 of the Texas Administrative Code. This permit should not be confused with licenses granted for the incineration of waste. Many disposal firms tout their waste permits as a form of mandatory licensing for cremation services when in fact they are not required for the dignified cremation of animals, but rather, exclusively for the disposal of waste.
Most owners would not want their pets' bodies to be dealt with along with commercial refuse. Cremation and Burial are personal, specialized processes that are a far cry from the incineration or landfill disposal of throw away waste. Due to a general lack of legal definitions in many jurisdictions and most states throughout the country, waste disposal firms purport to offer "cremation services" for pet owners. These are often carried out under appealing names which belie the true nature of the operations. For the pet owner this means two things:

1) Be aware of different types of licensing -Certain licensing is a legal requirement for waste services but not relevant to dignified pet cremation.
2) Look beyond the public face. Glossy brochures and slick presentation are all very well but unless you can trust their procedures, look elsewhere.

Learn More About Cremation Services

Private Cremation

Also Called Individual Cremation. The use of the term "Cremation" generally invokes the image of the individual service - the equivalent of the human crematorium. Clients are entitled to expect their pets be handled on their own and cremated singly within the cremation unit. The ashes should all be recovered and identified for return, scattering or burial and there should be no danger of any mixing of ashes.
Owners may wish to witness the start of the cremation or even be present for the whole process. This service may be arranged by appointment at Toothacres.

Disposal By Incineration and/or Landfill

Although few veterinarians, their staff, or the companies they use will admit to it, this is the service that the majority of pets will end up with - despite any wishes of the owners. This procedure typically involves the mass collection of pets in a van or box truck without any special handling, followed by incineration. The ashes or the entire un-incinerated body are disposed of, the majority of the time at a landfill.
Many people have no objections to this service as it provides a simple disposal option. However, it will often be described as mass, routine or communal cremation, but has little to do with the correct procedure for those services. The situation is not helped by veterinarians and staff using the term cremation rather than incineration so as to not upset the clients.
We believe that honesty is the best policy in situations where veterinarians use disposal by incineration . Owners would be far more distressed to learn about the true manner in which their pet's remains were handled and treated at a later date than if they were given honest information to begin with. Toothacres Pet Cemetery does not practice this form of cremation.

How do you judge a genuine pet crematorium or cemetery?
Most pet owners would regard a service described as Cremation or Burial to encompass three main points.
1) The dignified handling of their pets at all times.
2) The actual process of cremation or burial is done according to their wishes
3) In the case of cremation, the final committal of the ashes to a particular area intended for that purpose or being able to have the ashes returned to them.
While there may be a number of different options for cremation or burial, they should all meet the above criteria. It is important not to be confused or misled by comforting names for poor services. In the case of cremation with ashes returned to owners, do not accept a cremation certificate that does not explicitly state the type of cremation your pet is receiving. Many disposal firms provide certificates that are unnecessarily wordy and deliberately deceptive. These certificates often certify nothing pertaining to the type of cremation received or the authenticity of ashes returned. A proper certificate should state the type of cremation received and also certify that the ashes you are receiving are those of your pet.

"Cremation" services offered through some veterinarians:
Beware of services offered only through a veterinarian and not open to the general public. Services that discourage reasonable owner participation in their pet's aftercare by flatly barring owners from their facilities should also be avoided.

Here are ten questions to ask the person who is offering you after death care for your pet:

Thanks to Hinsdale Animal Cemetery, Inc for their assistance in the development of this Q/A.