# Would you ever preserve your dog after their passing?



## GSDkid

I was just searching online for rugs for dogs and came across this photo. I just thought it was a terrible idea and kind of creepy. What's your take?


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## GSDBESTK9

Would NEVER do that to one of my dogs. That is horrible!


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## GSDkid

I know of some people that stuff their dogs and keep them around as decor... *shivers* It's very creepy.


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## schatzi14

NO!! Never...ever!!!


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## jprice103

YIKES!! I would NEVER do that! That is morbid!!!!


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## Narny

I would have to say its to creepy to keep a mammal stuffed that was a close pet. 

I could save other types of pets though. I keep saltwater fishes, octopuses actually and have attempted to keep the bodies after they have passed. The nature of the relationship is want makes this creepy I think. On my best day with my octopus I am fascinated with him, but he doesnt curl up with me or make me feel better when I am sad. 

I will say that its horrible to turn them into a rug! A stuffed pet would still be creepy but a rug is just to morbid imo.


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## Jax08

omg...that is terrible.


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## Courtney

I would never honor my beloved companions memory that way.

A dog that checks on my girls every night before he settles down...no way.


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## Chance&Reno

I have the ashes of everyone of my dogs. Making them into a rug, IMHO, is disrespectful to the dog. I'd never stuff my dog either, because that's just as disrespectful AND creepy. EWWW


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## shepherdmom

Chance&Reno said:


> I have the ashes of everyone of my dogs. Making them into a rug, IMHO, is disrespectful to the dog. I'd never stuff my dog either, because that's just as disrespectful AND creepy. EWWW


Ewww we don't even keep the ashes. We have the vet dispose of the body.


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## Courtney

I would keep ashes (and would most likely go this route) or would bring the dog home & bury on our property if we had to PTS at the vets.


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## msvette2u

THAT'S HORRIBLE!!!! 

Oh geesh I went back and enlarged the pic to see it's eyes, it looks like a dog that's been ran over and smashed flat!! That's _not_ how I want to remember any of my dogs!! 

We have ashes in boxes here, from past dogs who've passed away. To me, it was a bit creepy doing that but we have moved so much (and had to leave dogs behind at past residences) I wanted to keep them with me...it's still a bit creepy. I mean each dog has their own box. 
Geez. I need coffee.


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## TheActuary

I would never do that.

That is incredibly disrespectful.


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## Good_Karma

That rug is an abomination.  I'm sure it's just a cultural thing, and maybe it would be a tribute to some people, but I find it sickening.


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## TheActuary

Although I would never stuff a pet, I think it's better than making them into a rug.

Rugs are for walking on... why would you want to honor the memory of your pet by walking on them?? I can't express in words how disrespectful and awful I think this is.


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## msvette2u

Actually I've seen fur rugs (from bears and wolves) hanging on walls. Maybe that's what this is kind of made for. I don't know.


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## TheActuary

msvette2u said:


> Actually I've seen fur rugs (from bears and wolves) hanging on walls. Maybe that's what this is kind of made for. I don't know.


Well.. it's on the floor in the picture.

Either way, it's awful.


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## Freestep

That rug is mortifying. To me it looks like a dog that just got run over by a steam roller. Kind of funny in a morbid way; not how I would want to remember my best friend.

I don't bury animals unless I have to and I don't keep ashes. My belief is that once the life has gone, the body is just an empty shell. I've always had the vet handle it and I'm aware that dead pets go to the local rendering plant. The way I see it, it's just matter being recycled. When I die, I don't want to be buried or cremated either. I'd love to be thrown out onto the African savannah and have wild animals eat me, but I don't think that's plausible.

I have jokingly thought of making a hat or scarf out of my Ocicat when he goes, just because his pelt is so fabulous, and he would approve of becoming a fashion accessory.


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## msvette2u

TheActuary said:


> Well.. it's on the floor in the picture.
> 
> Either way, it's awful.


Yeah I saw the pic unfortunately.

But my point is that in Alaska, when guys kill game and have it skinned like that, they usually hang them on the wall, don't use 'em to walk on 

PS. We had a Burmese python for a few years, her name was "Boots".


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## TheActuary

Freestep said:


> I'm aware that dead pets go to the local rendering plant.


Is this true of pets who pass at the vet? It was my understanding that you could opt for a cremation where you kept the ashes or you could opt for a "group" cremation where you did not keep the ashes.

I thought that only happened to euthanized shelter animals? Maybe I'm wrong... but those were the two options I was given.


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## TheActuary

msvette2u said:


> Yeah I saw the pic unfortunately.
> 
> But my point is that in Alaska, when guys kill game and have it skinned like that, they usually hang them on the wall, don't use 'em to walk on
> 
> PS. We had a Burmese python for a few years, her name was "Boots".


Gotcha... the only bear rug I've ever seen was in front of a fireplace. I guess it wasn't really walked on but it was a sort of foot rest.


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## msvette2u

Oh wow. 
No, vet euth'ed animals also go to the rendering plant. Some vets charge extra for this, while others roll the fee into the euthanasia fee.

Except here (at our local plant) they've stopped accepting animals killed with sodium pentobarbitol.


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## Freestep

TheActuary said:


> Is this true of pets who pass at the vet? It was my understanding that you could opt for a cremation where you kept the ashes or you could opt for a "group" cremation where you did not keep the ashes.
> 
> I thought that only happened to euthanized shelter animals? Maybe I'm wrong... but those were the two options I was given.


I'm not sure if ALL vets send the bodies to the local rendering plant, but it's fairly common practice. I think perhaps "communal cremation" is a euphemistic way of saying "rendering plant". Either way, it's recycling.


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## mysweetkaos

In answer to the question.....NO!! I did not look at the pic you posted, after reading other comments I figured it was a bit too early in the morning for that

My dad got called out to a house last week and happened upon something similiar. He said the homeowner welcomed him in...he started around the house, rounded the corner and in front of the window in the living room was a "sleeping" GSD. He found it odd that the homeowner didn't forewarn him....anyhow the homeowner entered the room and explained to him that the dog had been their pet for years and so they had him stuffed so he could always lay by the window which he always enjoyed

I have no doubt that I loved Kaos as much as it was possible to love a dog....but there is no way I would have him stuffed and laying around my house. Makes me a bit nauseous to think about actually.


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## TheActuary

I hope not. "Communal cremation" to me is not a euphemism for a rendering plant. I would feel mislead and lied to if that were the case.


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## Narny

We euthanize our own pets... we dont pay for the vet to do it. My husband and I both were raised with the mentality that a man (or woman.. I guess I would say, pet owner) takes care of his/her own in that way. Not judging those that dont just saying we dont do all of that with the vet. The bodies either go to animal control or they get placed in the back yard... normally though its animal control... I still have a hamster in my freezer that needs to be taken care of :shocked: .

I had thought about cremating our dog and then keeping the ashes but my husband didnt want anything to do with that. He just wanted it to be out of sight out of mind. He really was heart broken when Bridgette had to be put down.


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## msvette2u

You're right, actually, in places there's no plants close (I'm sure) there is group cremation.
If I'm going to cremate my pet (or foster dog) though, I'm going to have it a separate cremation.


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## NewbieShepherdGirl

I don't think I would stuff Sasha, and I certainly wouldn't turn her into a rug. That being said, I don't necessarily want to judge people that do. Everybody grieves differently. What might make my skin crawl might bring someone else some peace. 

I am also of the belief that once one dies the body is just a shell, it's the reason I don't go to the cemetery to "pay my respects"; to me there's nobody there. So I guess having a stuffed Sasha probably wouldn't do me much good, as far as grieving or anything like that.

I think I would like to bury her myself, but that would of course depend on when she passes. If it's winter then that's not terribly feasible unless I use our Bobcat. I don't think I would keep her ashes if I had her cremated, but I guess I don't know. I'm glad I, hopefully, won't have to make that call for a long time.


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## LaneyB

We cremated our English Bulldog in December, and scattered her ashes on Christmas day in the back yard. I would not like to have a rug of her, that creeps me out. I agree that hanging the rug on the wall is better than putting it on the floor if somebody felt they had to make a rug out of their dead pet. And I wouldn't want to have stuffed her either, although she slept so much if she had been stuffed there wouldn't be much difference in her level of activity.


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## Snickelfritz

No, I would never make a rug or stuff my dogs or cats. That's disturbing.


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## Courtney

Freestep said:


> I don't want to be buried or cremated either. I'd love to be thrown out onto the African savannah and have wild animals eat me, but I don't think that's plausible.


My dad knows someone who donated his body to The Body Farm in Tennessee.


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## Wolfgeist

Wow. That's... creepy. 

I wouldn't. Definitely not. I would, however, keep ashes and some locks of fur and create a nice display for my dog in somewhere in my home.


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## shannonrae

Freestep said:


> I'm not sure if ALL vets send the bodies to the local rendering plant, but it's fairly common practice. I think perhaps "communal cremation" is a euphemistic way of saying "rendering plant". Either way, it's recycling.


 
I have worked at 5 different vet clinics. Never at any of them were pets sent to a rendering plant. The pets whose ashes are not returned to the owner get a general cremation, this means that many pets are cremated together and ashes are spread somewhere (usually an employees garden or something to that effect).


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## Narny

shannonrae said:


> I have worked at 5 different vet clinics. Never at any of them were pets sent to a rendering plant. The pets whose ashes are not returned to the owner get a general cremation, this means that many pets are cremated together and ashes are spread somewhere (usually an employees garden or something to that effect).


Well at least thats a way of doing something useful with the remains.


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## Narny

Courtney said:


> My dad knows someone who donated his body to The Body Farm in Tennessee.


I dont think I could do that... I know that the body is just a shell and all that, but I have seen those body farms... no thank you.


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## LaneyB

What is a body farm?


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## Courtney

LaneyB said:


> What is a body farm?


It's a highly secured research facility where they study human decomposition in various settings. Extreme heat, in cars, under water, and on and on. This helps with forensic testing and the bodies are donated.

I could never do this.


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## jennyp

Courtney said:


> It's a highly secured research facility where they study human decomposition in various settings. Extreme heat, in cars, under water, and on and on. This helps with forensic testing and the bodies are donated.
> 
> I could never do this.


Have you read Stiff by Mary Roach? She writes about the various ways human bodies are used when they are donated to science. She talks about this in her book. It's fascinating! 

But to answer the OPs question- Ahh!! No way!! That rug is just..weird. And wrong.


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## Courtney

jennyp said:


> Have you read Stiff by Mary Roach? She writes about the various ways human bodies are used when they are donated to science. She talks about this in her book. It's fascinating!
> 
> But to answer the OPs question- Ahh!! No way!! That rug is just..weird. And wrong.


I actually have that book a friend gave it to me years ago but I have so many books that I want to read and have not got to it yet:crazy:

I admit to having a morbid curiosity to an extent, cannot look at anything animal related tho.


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## Caitydid255

Never a rug! We bury our pets in a hand-dug grave. Teddy was buried in one of his favorite resting spots by the pool shed at my parents'. Franklin's ashes were right next to him. We used to have a large beech tree which served as our pet cemetery, when the pool went in we marked the graves and put the patio over them so nobody would ever dig them up. Hubby's family has a similar pet cemetery and the same rules apply. Although they have heavy equipment, all graves are hand dug in memory of that pet. 

I am conflicted as to what we should do with our current pets once they pass as we don't plan to live in our current house for the rest of our lives and I don't like the idea of leaving them with strangers. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. Too sad to think of that now.


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## webdome

Taxidermy in the worst form.
Joke comes to my mind: "How is a taxidermist like a necrophiliac? They both mount dead things."


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## TheActuary

webdome said:


> Taxidermy in the worst form.
> Joke comes to my mind: "How is a taxidermist like a necrophiliac? They both mount dead things."


Haha gross.


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## Good_Karma

Narny said:


> We euthanize our own pets...


Is this strictly legal? Just curious. I guess I always thought there was a fine line between animal cruelty and humane euthanasia. If drowning an animal until it dies is cruelty, why is a bullet to the brain not cruelty? I'm not disagreeing with the right to end your pet's suffering yourself, just not sure where it falls on the spectrum of what is and what is not legal.



Courtney said:


> My dad knows someone who donated his body to The Body Farm in Tennessee.


I would totally do that. But my husband would kill me. Again.


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## Konotashi

Absolutely not. Having your baby turned into a rug? I couldn't do that. I couldn't imagine stepping all over it or kicking the head.... 

I couldn't have anyone stuffed, either. Creepy, soulless eyes staring back at me would just be a reminder that it's not my baby anymore, just the remnants they left behind.


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## NancyJ

That is honestly disturbing........ I am happy with a pawprint and a photo.


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## Narny

Good_Karma said:


> Is this strictly legal? Just curious. I guess I always thought there was a fine line between animal cruelty and humane euthanasia. If drowning an animal until it dies is cruelty, why is a bullet to the brain not cruelty? I'm not disagreeing with the right to end your pet's suffering yourself, just not sure where it falls on the spectrum of what is and what is not legal.


In Texas it is legal to shoot a dog if its your own dog (or if you have the owners consent) on your own property. Its not cruelty because I am not using the dog for target practice or risking the health of anyone. 

When animal control comes we tell them we put them down and they take the body. No problems at all.

I actually called a vet to find a way to put the dog down with meds and he said a bullet would be the most humane way to do it at home.


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## PupperLove

That's horrible! It makes the dog look like a piece of roadkill!!!


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## Angelina03

Freestep said:


> *I don't bury animals unless I have to and I don't keep ashes. My belief is that once the life has gone, the body is just an empty shell.* I've always had the vet handle it and I'm aware that dead pets go to the local rendering plant. The way I see it, it's just matter being recycled.


I totally feel the same way. I don't want anything but the photos of my babies when they were alive.

I didn't see the picture but I too think it is disturbing. I used to joke with Hubby about stuffing my Sikh. He was my precious cat for almost 19 years. He was my heart and Hubby new it (was a bit jealous of the cat too  ). I used to say it just to mess with him because I knew he would believe me, knowing how much I loved Sikh.


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## juliejujubean

I think not... thats just weird... I love my girl but I would not want to remember her that way!


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## Loneforce

When I was feeling like kidding around after Taz was gone 'which took quite a while' I made a funny to my family that I should of had him stuffed, because I had two other dogs moping around and always looking for him. But theres no way in the world that I would actually do that. It would be wrong in so many ways  I would rather have his urn and pictures to remember him by, which is what I did.


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## shepherdmom

Narny said:


> In Texas it is legal to shoot a dog if its your own dog (or if you have the owners consent) on your own property. Its not cruelty because I am not using the dog for target practice or risking the health of anyone.
> 
> When animal control comes we tell them we put them down and they take the body. No problems at all.
> 
> I actually called a vet to find a way to put the dog down with meds and he said a bullet would be the most humane way to do it at home.


We've had to do it on occasion. When one lives 30 miles or more from the nearest vet and that vet is only open Monday-Friday 8-5 there are times when it is not practical or kind to wait. I have to laugh at all the take the dog to the e-vet messages on here sometimes. People forget there are some places that don't have an e-vet. We once stiched a dog who had ripped open his side (100+ stiches) on some fencing with a needle and fishing string. Took him to the vet first thing Monday morning and vet said we did a great job, we saved his life.


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## Narny

shepherdmom said:


> We've had to do it on occasion. When one lives 30 miles or more from the nearest vet and that vet is only open Monday-Friday 8-5 there are times when it is not practical or kind to wait. I have to laugh at all the take the dog to the e-vet messages on here sometimes. People forget there are some places that don't have an e-vet. We once stiched a dog who had ripped open his side (100+ stiches) on some fencing with a needle and fishing string. Took him to the vet first thing Monday morning and vet said we did a great job, we saved his life.


This is how my husband and I were raised. We were in the country and the closest vet was over an hour away. I learned you just did what you could when you could and when you couldnt, you let them be at peace.


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## bellamia

GSDkid said:


> I was just searching online for rugs for dogs and came across this photo. I just thought it was a terrible idea and kind of creepy. What's your take?


 omg!! that is horrible! we do not keep ANY remains , ashes or anything else , our memories are in our hearts, we do not need to keep a tangible thing to remember our gsds. but thats just us. but that rug is just too disturbing!


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## GSD Parent

Thats horrible! That poor dog looks as if he were flatned by a truck!


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## DukeJazz

Disgusting & creepy - photographic proof that there is no limit to bad taste & disrespectful behaviour these days - YUCK !!


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## Desmo

That is extremely disturbing. I could not handle that, I don't even know how to put it into words.


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## Jo_in_TX

webdome said:


> Taxidermy in the worst form.
> Joke comes to my mind: "How is a taxidermist like a necrophiliac? They both mount dead things."


I guess being from the south where a lot of folks hunt, it doesn't bother me. I've seen some gorgeous ducks that I wouldn't mind having, although I wouldn't know where to put them.  Mostly we eat them, though.


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## Dragonwyke

i don't really have a problem w/taxidermy. i've got some wings and body parts of birds and wild animals that i've done myself. but one of my pets, no i don't think so. where ever i've been living if a pet of mine passed they were always buried at their favorite resting place in the yard. i've never left them at the vet unless i had no where to leave them. once when i was homeless i left a dog at the vet for disposal. but that was it. that was heart wrenching. 

if i lived in a place where it were legal, i would've taken care of euthanasia myself as well. i was raised country as well, their deaths are as much my responsibility as their lives. that's why i always bring them back to what they knew as their homes. once the spirit flies, there are only bones left, it doesn't matter when i finally leave. they are always in my heart and mind.

dw~


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## marbury

Oh dear lord... there was a taxedermy show on a channel somewhere that stuffed household pets. I won't lie, I can see how it might be comforting to look over and see your old pal lying serenely in a patch of sun. Y'know, until you remembered that he died twenty years ago. *shudder*

But the rug is definitely a no. I cannot imagine why anyone would be interested in it. Especially with the whole head still there and whatnot. To each their own, I suppose!


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## kidkhmer

that rug is just wrong on so many fronts i don't even know where to begin...


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