A mortuary isn't quite the right place to call when the family pet dies.
Funeral homes don't typically prepare animals for burial. So, what can pet owners do when the dearly departed is a dog, cat or pot-bellied pig?
"The major message probably should be . . . yes, they do have options," said Peggy Raddon, Salt Lake County Animal Services community relations manager.
The choices vary depending on whether the owner merely wants to dispose of the carcass or lay the remains to rest with a more loving, even exotic touch. Cost also is a consideration.
County health departments say small animals may be double bagged and thrown in the garbage. But what's small? Hamsters? Parakeets? Toy poodles? Even health officials aren't sure.
"A Chihuahua vs. a German shepherd," said Diane Keay, a Salt Lake Valley Health Department environmental health scientist. "Where do you draw the line?"
While the trash can isn't a good idea for large pets, the local dump might be if the owner is looking to simply get rid of the remains. Some landfills accept dead animals.
"If it's a loved pet, putting it in the garbage is a hard thing to do," said Ron Tobler, a Utah County Health Department environmental scientist who recently lost a dog. "I think most probably end up buried in the back yard."
A home burial doesn't violate state law, though it could conflict with local zoning ordinances in some areas. Health departments have no problem with interring a dead pet in the yard, provided some guidelines are followed.
Keay recommends the body be at least 2 feet below ground level and 2 feet above the water table. "If there are no streams around, it's probably OK," she said.
Bereaved pet owners, though, aren't likely to plumb groundwater depths.
For those who worry about an environmental hazard or a shallow grave being disturbed, cremation might be the answer.
Local animal shelters and veterinarians offer group and private cremations. Some will even pick up the pet. Charges vary and may depend on the size of the animal.
"Horses are a little more difficult. Dogs and cats we can deal with," said Amy Leyba, West Valley City animal control officer.
Group cremation is cheaper but doesn't return ashes to the pet owner as private cremation does. Cremated remains may be preserved in an urn or a box or spread over a pet's favorite stomping ground.
People looking for a more formal tribute might want to consider a pet cemetery.
Ogden set aside one-half acre in its city cemetery for animals 12 years ago. About 75 pets from dogs to iguanas are buried there a year. Plots cost $80 and $100. A ground-level plaque marks each gravesite.
"A lot of people grieve quite deeply with the loss of their pets," cemetery worker Simone Penrod said. "For some, they are their children."
Several companies make pet caskets. Windsor Casket Co. in South Salt Lake sells about five per month locally ranging $200 to $350 in price. The largest accommodates a 60-pound animal. Exterior patterns include dark cherry, beige marble and natural maple. Interiors are made from polar fleece.
"Some people buy them ahead of time and let the animal get acclimated to it," company president Ted Broman said.
The Ogden cemetery doesn't require a casket. Any sealed, non-biodegradable container — metal, concrete or fiberglass — is acceptable. Penrod said many people go with an insulated picnic cooler.
If disposal, cremation or burial leaves one cold, perhaps taxidermy or mummification will comfort a broken-hearted pet lover.
While some taxidermists will do dogs and cats, many shy away from them because it is difficult to capture the face a grieving owner wants to preserve.
"There's a loving look I can't produce," said Bill Mamales, owner of Custom Taxidermy in West Valley City. "The guy who shoots a deer doesn't have a day-to-day rapport with the animal."
And for those who believe cats truly have nine lives, there's mummification.
Summum, a Utah-based religion, has mummified more than 350 animals, mostly cats, since 1985, founder Corky Ra said. The linen-wrapped animal, bathed in herbs, oils and resins, is encased in bronze, finished in marble or gold leaf. Prices start at $6,000.
"It's as expensive to do a cat," he said, "as it is to do a regular funeral for a human."
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