Facing the death of a dog is not easy at all. Especially if that dog was your faithful friend and companion. Fortunately, and setting feelings aside for a moment, the steps to follow so that your dog can be buried or cremated have become considerably simpler.
As with humans, the hardest part of a dog’s death is getting through the loss. In this respect everyone is different and will face the loss of their pet however they see fit. Either way, it is a fact of nature that dogs usually die before their owners. Their life expectancy is much shorter and, sooner or later, we will have to go through this difficult moment.
Your dog has died — what should you do?
If we stop to think about it for a moment, dogs have limited ways of dying. That is, however adventurous they may be, we humans face more deadly dangers than any dog could dream of. Our pets have a limited range of movement, so the dangers they face are very specific. As a general rule, dogs die from illness or accident, especially traffic accidents (being run over or similar). Of course, I am setting aside the deaths of dogs caused deliberately by people. In those cases, the owner will care little about what to do with the animal’s body. Depending on where the dog’s death occurs, you will have to act one way or another. Below you can see the possibilities.
If my dog dies at home
The first step you should take when a dog’s death happens at your home is to notify the identification registers. The animal was registered in this database and, without notification of the death, it cannot be removed from it. Each autonomous region has its own animal identification register. I would advise you to search online for the register that applies to you and to find out about the relevant health and hygiene laws. This way, as well as knowing who to call when your dog dies, you will be up to date on the steps to follow after the death. I would advise you not to bury your pet yourself. As well as the ordeal you would have to go through to give your dog a burial, you would be breaking the law. It is compulsory to notify the municipal services in charge of these tasks, or to request the services of a pet funeral home.
The third contact you should notify of a dog’s death is your trusted vet. In addition, the specialist can keep your pet’s body in optimal condition for a couple of days until you decide how you want to say goodbye: by burying or cremating it. If a dog’s death happens at home on a non-working day, you will need to think about how to handle and preserve the body. Fortunately, most funeral homes or animal crematoriums have a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week service. So if you choose one of these companies for your pet’s final farewell, you will not need to handle your pet’s body if you do not want to. In any other case, if you need to preserve your dog’s body for a day or two before it can be taken away, these are the steps to follow:
- Put on latex gloves before touching the dog’s body.
- Get a blanket or towel large enough to cover and wrap the animal’s body.
- As incredible as it may sound, you will have to place your deceased pet’s body in a freezer. Make sure you have enough space. Keep your dog’s body cold for the hours or couple of days needed before giving it a proper end.
.If my dog dies at the vet’s clinic
A dog’s death at the vet makes the final process even simpler. Whether due to surgical complications, natural death or sedation, the process to follow will be the same. The specialist can take care of all the necessary formalities if you decide so. You will not have to face difficult calls to report the death, and you will be able to focus on saying goodbye. Of course, you will also have the option to bury or cremate your pet and to choose the pet funeral service if you wish.
If my dog is run over…
In cases where you discover the tragedy that your dog has been fatally run over, do not even think about leaving its body lying there. There are two main reasons why you should not abandon the body. The first reason is more than obvious. This is your friend, and every pet deserves the respect of ending its life in the best possible way. And second, abandoning any animal’s body on a public road carries penalties with fines of more than a thousand euros. If you run over and kill an animal on the road, you should contact the Guardia Civil or the police to report the incident. You will not be fined for the accident and, by notifying them, you will be ensuring a dignified burial for the animal.
Is cremation an option?
Of course. Everyone can decide how they want their pet’s farewell to be. While pet cremation is very widespread in countries like the United States, in others it is still not a very well-known option.
That said, it has to be acknowledged that pet cremation is an increasingly common practice. If you want to keep your pet’s remains somewhere close to you, the cremation services of dog and pet funeral homes will be your best option.
Once the dog has passed away, the animal funeral home will take care of the whole process. In just a few days they will give you your friend’s ashes.
How to get through the death of a dog
Most of us consider our dog to be another member of the family. At the moment of a dog’s death, getting through the trauma can be harder than we think.
Everyone is different and will face their grief in one way or another. However, there are cases where there is no choice but to ask for help to get through it. It does not matter whether you lean on the affection of family, friends or professionals. What matters is that you get through the grieving process. Focus on the good times you shared with your pet.
Some people choose to donate or give away the animal’s belongings, adopt another dog, or pay tribute to it. In truth, that is the least of it. The aim is not to become fixated on the dog’s death and to get through the loss. Again, remember the good times and think about how happy you were together.
Again, facing the death of a dog is not an easy task. But knowing in advance what to do when the moment comes makes saying goodbye to your faithful friend a good deal more bearable.
