Pet burials: what you should know

You’d like to bury your pet on your property when the time comes, but are not sure how to go about it? Kevin Spurgeon, from Dignity Pet Crematorium, explains everything you need to know when it comes to pet burials.

A grave affair

I have been exhuming or “uplifting” pets now for at least 15 years. I started after a close relative asked me to help exhume her cat as she was moving home and didn’t want to leave him behind.  I wanted to help her so I carried out some research on what to do before successfully uplifting him.  Within a week her friend contacted me to help her and the rest, as they say, is history!

Our society moves home more than ever before and most people have an exhumation because they are relocating, however other common reasons include planned building works that will disturb the grave site, or they’ve buried their pet in a communal area and have been asked to uplift it or just that they’ve never felt at peace with their pet’s remains being in their garden since they made the decision to bury them.  I’ve exhumed pets after they’ve only been buried a few days up to them having been in the ground for decades.

There are two common themes when people contact me – the initial embarrassment of the person asking for my help (they often ask “am I weird for wanting to do this” and “does anyone else do this?”) followed by their immense sense of relief (they often describe it like a huge weight has been lifted from their shoulders) once their pet’s remains have been uplifted.

Over the years I’ve exhumed many different pets from hamsters up to St Bernards, and so have seen lots of different burial techniques. Some are better than others!  Coupled with a few rules that you have to be aware of when burying a pet in your garden I’ve put together some dos and don’ts that I hope will help you, or at least answer satisfy your curiosity!

Location, location, location

The most common mistake people make is to choose a spot near the house or in a flower bed that is likely to be disturbed at some point by them or any future owners.  Burying away from the house in an area that is unlikely to be built over means that you can move home leaving their remains in situ if that’s what you’d prefer to do.  If you do choose to leave your pet’s remains in the garden that they knew then please let the incoming owners know and leave your contact details in case they plan to dig down over the grave site.

The rules 

On the gov.uk website the Environment Agency advises that for domestic pets such as a dog or cat you do not need permission to bury them on your own land.  They also say there are no minimum good practice groundwater protection requirements which you can read here.

For larger pets such as horses or if you want to start a pet cemetery, then minimum good practice groundwater protection requirements do apply. These include ensuring the burial site is outside of a source protection zone 1, at least 250 metres away from any well, borehole or spring supplying water for human consumption or used in food production, at least 30 metres from any spring or watercourse not used for human consumption (50 metres for horse burials) and at least 10 metres away from any field drain, including dry ditches.  There are also rules prohibiting burials in unaltered or unweathered bedrock or areas of groundwater flooding.

Digging the grave

I have seen pets buried anywhere from 2 to 6 inches from the surface up to over 6 feet deep.  Of course the soil type of the ground often has a big impact on how deep you bury your loved one.  If you have a large dog and your soil type is clay then you may want to hire a mini digger as it will be very hard going!  Equally if you encounter lots of thick roots then that may prevent you going any deeper or mean you choose a different spot in the garden.  My advice is to choose an open area and stay away from any large trees!

A good spade and shovel will make life easier but if the ground is hard then you may want to invest in a Pick Mattock (a pick on one side and a flat blade on the other called an adze).  Just watch out for any underground cables or pipes!

Ideally the depth of your grave should be around 4 feet from the surface of the ground – this means your pet will actually be about 3 feet from the surface.  In heavier soils around 3 feet deep meaning at least 2 feet of soil above your pet.  Most pets that I have exhumed have been buried around 2 – 3 feet down but I’ve had several who I’ve eventually found around 6 feet underground!

Protecting the grave

When burying closer to the surface I recommend people protect the grave site from being disturbed by other animals.  There are a variety of ways to do this including partially backfilling the grave then laying chicken wire or slabs over the top before completely backfilling the grave.  I’ve also seen some people create underground mausoleums/tombs for their pets using wooden planks or slabs both underneath and around the body as well as slabs on top (I’d suggest partially back filling before placing the slabs on top so there is no void underneath them).

What should I bury them in?

You may be tempted to bury your pet in a coffin – if you don’t want to buy one and fancy making your own then please don’t make the mistake of using plywood!  I have had to deal with several waterlogged coffins over the years – all of which were home made.  They just don’t break down very well resulting in water going in but not out again.  If you use something like a veneered chipboard then over time water will soak into the wood causing it to destabilise and eventually break down allowing nature to take its course with your pet’s body.

Wrapping them in a towel or blanket is a great option – if you use one made from a man made fibre (like a fleece blanket) then it won’t break down in the ground meaning their skeletal remains will still be inside if you do need to uplift them at a future date (much easier than trying to find them when they are loose in the soil).

Whatever you do, don’t bury them in a plastic bag or crate – this creates a barrier to nature taking its course and I have found completely intact pets within plastic bags after 10 years in the ground. Remember, plastic bags can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose, depending on the material and structure.

An Ancient Egyptian burial

Ancient Egyptians used to place beautiful jewellery, clothes, perfume and food amongst other things (subject to how rich they were). Placing their collar, toys, treats, photographs, letters, flowers or any other meaningful items with your pet is a lovely way to give them a special send off. I’ve found many toys still laying with the body years after burial.

Marking the grave

However much you think you will know where your pet is buried in years to come the truth is that unless you mark the spot you will not be sure. The aesthetics of your garden will change over the years potentially leading to you trenching across your garden looking for your pet if you choose to uplift them at a later date.  I’ve seen a variety of home made plots including different headstones, ornaments and plants that mark the exact location where pets are buried. I have also seen a good few kerb edged graves which mean that you can be in no doubt as to where they lay.  If you think you may want to take them with you, mark the spot!

The one way to be sure of knowing the exact spot in years to come is to take photos from different angles. The key is to ensure there is something permanent in the background like a fence or shed, or some other static object that won’t grow or be cut down, and will still hopefully be there in years to come.

How long will it take for them to disappear?

Mostly, pets buried between 1 – 3 years will still be intact in one form or another.  Pets buried longer than this will more likely be skeletal. But this timeline depends on many other factors. Were they buried in a coffin? How deep were they buried and what soil was it?  The deeper the grave the slower the decomposition as there is less oxygen and less opportunity for microbes to do their work. So if you want to know that your pet is returning to their skeletal form sooner rather than later I’d suggest not wrapping them in anything and burying closer to the surface in a warm, well aerated, alkaline soil (adding lime to the soil mix will help).   And remember, larger dogs will take a lot longer to decompose than small ones.

Soil that is hot and dry will cause mummification that may prevent the bugs helping in decomposition from accessing their remains.  I’ve seen mummified dogs in sealed, dry coffins on several occasions.  Unless you create the right environment for mummification to take place it isn’t something we have to be worried about in the UK!

The missing remains…

Before I started exhuming pets I thought that there would always be skeletal remains left in the ground.  It turns out I was wrong!  Without getting too into the science behind it – through a combination of the right soil pH, temperature and water movement bones can dissolve.  I have only seen this on a couple of occasions with pets buried many years ago but it can happen.  If you have heard of a water based alternative to cremation called alkaline hydrolysis then effectively it is this process that takes place over several years.

Burial or cremation?

The vast majority of people who have exhumations opt for the remains to be cremated afterwards however some people choose to re-bury in their new garden.  I suggest placing remains into airtight plastic containers until the new grave is ready for them.

For some, cremation simply isn’t an option because of fear of the process itself or lack of trust that they will get their own pet’s ashes back afterwards.  For those without a place to bury their dog, cat or gerbil are some pet cemeteries scattered across the UK.  If you choose this option make sure you read and understand the terms of the burial contract as this will determine whether the plot is guaranteed for only a limited time or for time immemorial.  It will also explain visiting rights and memorial maintenance too.  I’ve seen several pet cemeteries close and sold to developers, with heartbreaking stories of families having to uplift their pets before the diggers arrive.

It is also worth bearing in mind that in some circumstances your vet may say that you cannot bury your pet and they will have to be cremated.  For example after a full post mortem the body must go to an approved pet crematorium and can’t be realised to owners.

With many established pet crematoriums having been stealthily bought up by corporate vets – if you go down the cremation route either after death or after exhumation then members of the APPCC (Association of Private Pet Cemeteries & Crematoria) are independently inspected and have to adhere to a strict Code of Practice ensuring a genuine individual cremation that complies with consumer protection regulations.  You can find your nearest member at www.appcc.org.uk

Don’t be rushed

Whatever you choose to do the most important bit of advice I can give you is no matter how much you don’t want to think of your much loved pet dying – please think ahead about what send-off you’d like, do your research and don’t be afraid to choose a different service than the one your vet offers you. Even after their death most vets will store your pet for at least a week whilst you decide what’s best for you so use that time and don’t be rushed into making a decision that you’ll regret.

This is an article by Kevin Spurgeon, as published in the October 2022 edition of Dogs Today.