Foreign dog and cat lovers compare customs with the Chinese

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A boy mourns his deceased dog beside its grave.Photo: VCG

Over 1 million families in Shanghai keep pets, according to a recent news report by Knews. When pets die or get sick or hurt, how to properly deal with them used to be a headache for many pet owners in China. Thus, the pet cemetery market came into being in recent years. 

Knews investigated a pet cemetery located in an agritainment spot near the Dongping National Forest Park in Chongming district. Prices for pet tombs range from 8,800 yuan ($1,291) to 13,000 yuan according to their size and style.

Cemetery staff will prepare tombstones, photos and ash urns for pet owners. But the pet owner must pay an annual maintenance fee of 800 yuan. Over 100 pets are presently buried in the cemetery, with each tomb occupying an area of 1.5 to 2 square meters.

Every year, pet owners come to the cemetery to sweep the tombs for their deceased pets. Compared with Chinese families, it is even more common for foreign families to keep pets. So how do they deal with sick, aging or deceased pets? The Global Times recently interviewed some foreigners in Shanghai about this sad subject matter. 

Julie Anne Jollie from the UK has been raising a pet dog for 12 years. She treats it as a family member and told the Global Times that, in her country, when pets grow old, their owners usually care for them until they die naturally. "British pet owners never abandon their pets," Jollie said.

Mags Gallagher from the UK also has been raising a dog for 12 years. She treats her dog "like a baby." Gallagher thinks people in her country treat their pets with great love and great care. "We are always very loving toward our family dogs. We'd never abandon them. It is very unusual for people from our country to abandon a dog," Gallagher said. 

Daniel from Italy used to raise different kinds of pets, such as cats and dogs, for around 15 years altogether. When pets grow older, Daniel thinks pet owners need to take more care of them. "They get older, so it's more difficult to give them what they need. They can feel sick," Daniel said.

"But there are people who [abandon pets], not good people. You shouldn't do that," said Daniel. "Unfortunately, I lost a cat just recently because she was sick and quite old. Yeah, it was not easy, you need to have patience."

Pets are for life

Andrew Sutherland from Australia has two pet birds which he has been keeping for six months. "I talk to them in the morning. They are in little cage, so I can't play with them too much," Sutherland said. 

According to Sutherland, many Australians keep pet dogs, which can live for 15 to 20 years. "So they are really a part of the family. A pet is for all time, you can't abandon a pet," Sutherland said.

Mark Unger from Australia said he is not a pet person. "I don't think we should have pets, but for some people, they love the company," Unger said, "I like people for company."

But Unger has friends who raise pets as family members. "They usually treat them very well," Unger admitted.

Contrary to some Chinese pet owners who find it troublesome to properly deal with their pets' after-life affairs, Western pet owners usually have them dealt with by professionals. 

According to Jollie, when their pets die, British pet owners take them to a vet to arrange a cremation. "Or maybe buried if you choose," said Jollie, who added that people sometimes bury their deceased pets in their home yard. 

Six feet under

Gallagher noted that if her dog died, her family would take it to a vet to have it cremated. "And we would keep its ashes, which we would take to its favorite places for walking," Gallagher said.

"Typically, if they [the pets] are too old or too sick, owners take them to the veterinarian and they have an injection to put them to sleep," said Unger, who added that most Australians leave their deceased pets with the vets to dispose of them, which is by cremation.

According to Daniel, when their pets die, most Italians put them in their garden or a tomb. When his cat died, he cremated the cat and put it in a box that he can keep at home. "Most people just get rid of the body, unfortunately," Daniel said. 

According to Daniel, a few cities in Italy have public pet cemeteries, but most cities don't have such cemeteries. "So in most cases, owners just put them in private gardens," Daniel said.

Katia Pnonki from Russia has been raising her cat for 18 years and treats it as a family member. She told the Global Times that people in her country bury pets in the ground at public pet cemeteries. 

"If you have a backyard, that's big enough. In my family, we have a large space in the back of our house, so we have enough room to do that," Sutherland said.

Saying goodbye

Compared with wealthy Chinese pet owners who are willing to spend around 10,000 yuan on their pet's funeral and tomb, the amount that Western pet owners spend depends on their personal situation. 

While Daniel spent around 250 euros ($292) on his pet's funeral, Jollie doesn't think British people hold fancy ceremonies for pets. "Very simple. So maybe the cost is not too high. Maybe just immediate family of the pet [participate the ceremony]," Jollie said.

"What we will do is go to a special place, and let the ashes go there with a goodbye," Gallagher said. Sutherland said it was really sad when his pets pass away. "You bury them, usually in your backyard, in your garden."

"Especially if you've got little children, it's often their first experience with death. It's important that you do it properly and respectfully say goodbye to them," Sutherland said. 

"For little children, it's kind of like giving them an experience to honor something important that passed away. It's kind of like preparing them for when their grandparents pass away. They can get used to the idea of saying goodbye in a respectful way."

Source: Global Times

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1117551.shtml

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