@Aloysa – If the owner does not want the ashes returned, multiple pets can be cremated together. If an owner would like their pet’s ashes returned, that pet has to be cremated separately, which then takes a different amount of time, hence the extra cost.

I think you’re right about the price difference between options #2 and #3. For shelter (i.e., unowned) animals, they are all cremated together. Option #3 would require that they cremate your pet separately.

@Kathy – Thanks Kathy :) I’m sorry to hear about your loss too with your precious one – I’m glad we were all blessed though!
@Kelli – Aww, thanks. Bob is hanging out with your dog as we speak! :)
@Yana – I’m glad she’s still rockin’ and rollin’ over there! Soak up every day you have with her :)
@Kerry – That is such an awesome poem!!! Thank you for sharing it with me, I had never read it before :) Going right now to email it to my wife! She’ll love it!! (and I’m sure it’ll make her tear a little bit too :()
@Rachel – Awwww, I love horses :( I rode one for the first time last year – such beautiful animals!
@LB – Thanks LB. That’s actually one of the next areas I’d like to try living one day – in the country. So you have more free reign over stuff, and it’s totally peaceful. May both our cats be alive and well in the heavens! :)
@Bryan at Pinch that Penny! – Amen brotha. The circle of life…
@Carol in Mpls – Awwww well that’s good!!! Keep telling her and showering her – you know she loves every minute of it too :)
@DC – WOW, 19? That’s incredible man. I hope he/she keeps on going and your wife appreciates her every day! :)
@Sense – Oh jeez, no – had nothing to do with our pet sitter ;) They were both just really really old and became just a bad coincidence there… although I will say our pet sitter didn’t do a great job of breaking the news to us. It was her first time dealing with something like this, and it came out pretty bad :(
@Michelle – That sounds beautiful :)
@Ornella – Thanks Ornella, hope to see you soon :)
@Shane C – I’m glad :) And I hope he has a ton of years left in this world with you too!
@Mercedes – Oh, good! I like that idea of putting him in a few different places, that’s kinda cool :) Ours was an indoor cat, but there are a ton of sunny areas we could place him throughout our community… that was his favorite thing to do – lie in the sun and soak it all up.
@Chet – Oh no! Sorry to hear, man :( They’re both on the heavenly adventure together – I bet they become friends :) (Did your dog like cats?? Hehe…)
@Andi B. – That is nice :) We ended up saying bye to our boy at the vet too (which was really REALLY freaky – he kept looking like he was still breathing!) but we still wanted to take him home after too… we’ll see how we feel once it’s more “real” when we go to pick up his ashes :(
@Crystal – I hope Miss Doxie hangs in there for you guys! Beautiful name! :)
@David Hunter – Haha… I wonder if that’s an option? :)
@Stephanie – Hehe, amen sista. I think I might print it and frame that poem too if the Mrs tells me she likes it (I’d never heard of it until you guys started posting about it here). And we’re right up there with birth control and pro-gay marriage too ;) So I’m sure I’ll see you in the same place above too! Hehe…

We went with option #3 when we had to put our family dog down, nearly 10 years ago. For the longest time we had a “Rosie shrine” in the spare bedroom: the box with her ashes, and next to it was her favorite teddy bear (yes, my dog had a favorite teddy bear), which had her collar around its neck. Eventually my mom moved the box to a drawer inside the dresser, but she never buried it or scattered the ashes or anything.

My current dog, Elvis, is still relatively young (six years old) and healthy, and I don’t even want to think about how awful it will be to say goodbye to him. I have a hard enough time saying goodbye to my little rats, and they typically only live 2-3 years! Even as an animal lover, I used to be totally snarky about that “Rainbow Bridge” poem (it just seemed so CHEESY!), but when I had to take my first rat to be put down nearly 4 years ago, the room had a framed copy of that poem and I just completely lost it and started sobbing. I don’t care if it makes me a bad Catholic (hell, I already am a bad Catholic, what with being in favor of using birth control and being pro-gay marriage!), but I totally believe that if there’s an afterlife, I’ll be greeted by a stampede of all the wonderful pets I’ve had over the years, and I bet Bob’s up there hanging out with them now, too. :-)

I sure hope we’ll see them again. I’d much rather spend my after life in pet heaven!