The last right: A place to rest your departed pet in peace
One of the difficulties that pet parents in the city face is to bury the bodies of their furry friends when they have crossed the rainbow bridge. While some can afford to bury them in their own backyard, many apartment residents don’t have the luxury of doing that.
Thankfully, On December 20, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) initiated the creation of the first public crematorium for dogs and cats.
The public-private partnership project will be spread over 700 sqm in Dwarka and will offer provisions of a priest to perform rituals and ashes stored for up to 15 days.
The crematorium, for both dogs and cats, can be accessed by people across the city, an SDMC official said.
The standing committee of the civic body in October had fixed the cost of cremation for pet and stray dogs at this first-of-its-kind facility in the city.
“So, the rate will be Rs 2,000 for a dog weighing up to 30 kg biomass and Rs 3,000 for over 30 kg category,” the official confirmed to PTI.
Stray dogs will, however, be cremated free of cost at the facility.
“We want such animals to also have dignified last rites, as we do for humans. So, we have asked for provisions to be made to have a priest at the crematorium who will perform the rituals in a traditional way for a dead pet,” the official told PTI.
South Delhi is home to a large number of pets and the move has been welcomed by people, especially dog lovers, many of whom had to earlier run from pillar to post to get their pet’s cremation done.
“The breeds mostly kept as pets here include, Pomeranian, Labrador, German Shepherd, Alsatian and Rottweiler. We hope this new crematorium would give solace to pet-owners and peace to the souls of those dogs,” the official told.