To think a pet dog should not be buried in mutual gardens?

There is a lovely private Pet Crematorium
in Worcestetshire. It can be found by Google. It's owned by a lovely family in beautiful countryside.

One can have their pet's ashes returned in a suitable container knowing that the contents are GENUINE.

I was pondering pet burial the other day. Watching my elderly (but still fit and well) cat basking in the sun, my mind wandered as to what I would do with her remains when "the time comes." (morbid of me I know!) My garden, although my own is frequented by foxes and badgers on a regular basis.

As to the original question, if I lived in communal flats I think I would go down the cremation route to avoid upsetting anyone and so I could scatter the ashes somewhere my pet enjoyed.

My father always buried pets in the garden - dogs, cats, rabbits and a budgie! So did our neighbours. We lived on a council estate in Tottenham and the "soil" was London clay - dense and sticky. My guess is that they're still there.

With your own garden, it's perfectly legal to bury anything ( including a husband or wife.) Shared gardens should be a no-no.
We have buried cats and hamsters but a dog would go for cremation and the ashes then buried.

Apparently she has been reluctantly persuaded to bury the dog in her daughter's garden. Problem solved.
(Incidentally the question of leasehold doesn't apply in Scotland.)

Sorry, it's not her garden to put the dog in.

What would worry me about it is the prospect of someone's little grandchild doing a bit of amateur gardening in the flowerbeds and digging up a chunk of decomposing pooch. Come to that, whoever does the gardening normally could get a bit of a nasty experience.

There is a good reason for the regulations concerning where burials (human and animal) can take place. Hygiene and aesthetics both come into it. In your own garden, where you know the location of the pet grave, you can avoid cultivating there, but when the garden is shared by many people, and those people could change at any time, it doesn't seem to me to be fair to do this. A pet cremation and the ashes put into a planter with a shrub would be better - or perhaps they could be scattered somewhere wild where the dog liked to go for a walk..

Doesn't seem any harm in it really. Is there something that is worrying you about it ? I agree might have been nice to be consulted but think your Neighbour is griefstricken and not thinking straight x

I have had two small pet dogs cremated and it is expensive through a Vet. I still have their ashes in caskets with their name DOB and date died on. have a dog a Yorkie. I still have the ashes in boxes on. Have no idea what I will do with them eventually. I have a small dog now who is 8.

We did bury a cat in our garden in the 1960's.

Perhaps your neighbour cannot afford cremation?

I wouldn't be bothered by something like that...just as long the pooch was buried deep and flowers/tree/shrub planted...who knws it may have already been done and no one knows!

I think cremation and scattering/burying is a better option but probably more expensive?

Communal gardens = no burying of dogs. It's not rocket science.

Your poor neighbour. Please be sensitive to her feelings but maybe you could suggest cremation and then she could keep the ashes with her. That is what we did with our dog Hamish and I have found it a great comfort to know at least part of him is still with us.

I think your neighbour should definitely consider cremation and then putting her dogs ashes in a large flower pot that she can take with her if she ever moves home. I have a flower pot with my 3 cats ashes in it, it works for me. I know when I move home or go into sheltered accommodation (you never know!) I can take them with me.

I've buried three cats. Each time I've been lucky enough to have access to a garden to bury them in - the first in a rented flat but the owner was part of the cat's fan club and was happy for me to take up a foot of space, deep down. Now it's my own garden here, and I've found the physicality of digging a deep hole as part of the ending of a many years' relationship was useful, a final effort from me.

Not being able to do this would have been painful. A euthanised animal can be left at a vet's for them to dispose of, I guess they charge, but they would do mass cremation which would be cheaper.

So I can understand why this dog's owner would want to do this final act themselves, and if they only have access to a communal garden, would hope to be able to use it. In a few months there will be nothing to show of the grave site, the owner can choose a plant to mark the spot.

It would all depend on the size of the dog. Anything of any size would need such a big hole that it would be disruptive to the garden.

Providing there is enough space and they can dig at 4 feet down, restore the ground it shouldn't be a problem as within a couple of yesars there will be little or nothing left. Just the animal should be buried as any wraps, collars etc. may rot too slowly.

I have buried cats and the odd rabbit in my garden and have yet come across any of the dozen or so animals over a thirty year period.

That sounds a good idea nickamram!

Cremation and the ashes of your beloved pet placed in a small casket that can be engraved with your own choice of words This seems to be normal procedure these days.
Some owners I know have made a request in their will that their pets remains will be buried with or added to their own cremated remains when the time comes.

Legally she can only bury her dog on her own land so if it is shared with others or owned by a different freeholder, then no. It would also have to be a certain distance away from any water courses and pipes etc. Personally I wouldn't do it on my own property in case I ever moved, I would hate to leave them behind knowing they might accidentally be disturbed. I know people who have had their dogs cremated and then interred the ashes into a planter with a nice plant which they can then take with them if they move. I took my last dog's ashes to scatter at the farm he was born ( with the farmer's permission) knowing I can always go and sit there enjoying the view and the memories if I need to.

Does it really matter?

Aside from whether anyone 'minds' I think your friend would find that it would contravene the Lease to bury her dog in communal grounds. I speak as one who has lived in a house of 8 apartments (who were also the Freeholders). If she goes ahead without checking, she may find herself in an awful situation of having to exhume at a later date Better to get it thoroughly checked out first.

No. Communal gardens do not belong to the leaseholders, but are the property of the freeholder & the responsibility of the management company of the estate. In law you would strictly speaking need to get permission of whoever manages the block/development to do this and it is extremely unlikely it would be given. Many people forget that the outside space of leasehold flats is not part of their property and even if they have a share of the freehold, they would still need agreement of the other freeholders.

Hmm, bit tricky, but having given it some thought, I think providing it was buried VERY deep, I.e much deeper than anyone might dig for general gardening purposes, I could put up with it, although of course buried ashes would be a more acceptable option, but that does have a cost implication.

Without being too yuk or insensitive, the size of the dog might also be a consideration, after all the burial of a Yorkshire Terrier might be easier to cast a blind eye to than, for example an English Mastiff!

I don't think it is right in a shared garden either. I never do this kind of thing anyway. I just let the vet deal with it, and I don't want any ashes back. Not heartless I love my pets to bits but they are not there anymore so....

I don't see a problem with burying your pet in your OWN garden my last cat is there long gone to dust, but in a shared garden NO definitely not Very inconsiderate I think your right to be annoyed