Our beloved pets (dogs, cats, pigs, birds, etc..) are typically buried in a pet cemetery. However, there is a growing movement today to allow pet owners to be buried (or their cremated ashes) with their pets in a human cemetery. New York is just one of a few states to pass laws allowing such burials (in cemeteries that are willing to handle them, as Church cemeteries may opt out). Similar bills are pending in Louisiana, Indiana, Massachusetts, and elsewhere. In Pennsylvania, cemeteries can offer one section for people, another for pets, and a third area for both. Virginia permits pets and owners to lie in a designated area of a cemetery, as long as they’re in separate caskets. The issue impacts over half of the households in the U.S. On an international level, Germany has allowed owner-pet cemeteries for several years. While the idea may seem strange to none pet owners, individuals devoted to their pets consider them members of the family and grieve their deaths deeply.
