Pet Cemetery

[furtech]

I went to the pet cemetary to pick up Baron's ashes. S.O.P.H.I.E. is a place of seeming contradictions: on the surface, they seem like capitalist excess personified; deeper down, they serve a need for people who have suffered a great loss. Very reputable, very respectful-- SOPHIE is known for performing single animal cremations. They will cater to the needs of their customers: if you want multiple animals cremated at once, they will accommodate; if you don't want the remains ground, they will do as you ask.

Their showroom looks like the showroom of a mortuary -- but the urns and coffins are heart-breakingly small . The most touching coffin is literally a simple pine box -- like the kind a kid might make. Very sad.



This time I went to go take a picture of my favorite memorial (see pic above). On the way, I wandered through the park looking at some of the gravestones. Honestly, you don't know whether to laugh or cry: some memorials say so much about the pet and the owner. Some say too much. Still, I thought I'd share some.

All kinds of animals are buried here.

Some messages are simple.

Others bring a lump to your throat.

Some rip your heart out.

Most just tell of a family's love for a pet.

This one made me laugh -and- cry: "thick kitty"!

Cute picture, born on Christmas!

A sad, short time together.

If you've lost a pet recently, even a simple message like this can turn you to a maudlin, mushy pile.

...and then there were these:
The flowery...
A very few eulogies were long and elaborate. (that's a LOT of carving!)

The clinical...
And then there was this one. My god! Talk about guilt and unresolved issues!

Of course, they have the Rainbow Bridge poem near the entrance.

Comments

[westly-roanoke.livejournal.com]

Cry, ::Nods:: That's what I was just doing...

*sniffle*

[diadexxus.livejournal.com]

Damn you.. you made me cry....

[lacy.livejournal.com]

The guilty one is just.. wow! I almost think that's got to be a joke of some kind.

[desertcoyote.livejournal.com]

*sniff* Now you've got me crying... so sad and beautiful, both. It's good that a place like that exists.
I miss my Mack, and the Bud. Too many losses in a short time. Fortunately, Taiko is keeping me busy (and then some!!!)....

[was1.livejournal.com]

It could be called excess, but people also don't always realize how big a whole pets leave when they go. There's so much love and affection given to and by them.

The memorials were touching, save for that one disturbing one. I really love the bouqet of tennis balls too. That so reminds me of my family's border collie, Molly, and how OCD she is about playing ball. She's getting up in age too, 11 or 12 years. It's going to be very sad when she passes.

My husband does not understand why I'm crying my eyes oout now...

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

We have Rissa's urn set up as a little shrine in our office, which was her favorite place to be:

http://www.dragonsgate.net/karisusama/LJpics/RissaShrine.jpg

[crocuta.livejournal.com]

Gods. Yeah. I really want to see that place but at the same time, handling visiting a place like that would be hard.

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

very very touching stuff.... -_-

[didjiman.livejournal.com]

TT

[karisu-sama.livejournal.com]

And our precious Rissa was a New Year's Baby too - born on New Years Day. T_T Stayed with us long enough to celebrate my birthday 2 years ago. T_T

We still have her elderly daughter, and the new baby girl-pup, but we will always love Riss forever. T_T

[titanic.livejournal.com]

I moved mao into what you brought me last night.

Sorry if I didn't say thank you or much of anything else for the rest of the evening.

So I'll say thank you here.

[djmermaid.livejournal.com]

There is a pet cemetary in the Presidio in SF - it was started by the military families that used to live there, but it seems like some local people have also buried pets there. Most of the markers are made of wood, painted white, with hand painted lettering. It is very touching. I wonder who keeps it up, since the base has been closed for some time.

I can't tell you exactly how to find it, but if you drove around a bit I'm sure you'd see it. It's down the hill towards the bay side, not too close to any buildings. It's really a lovely place, though very sad too, of course. I found it totally by accident one day.

My sympathy on the loss of your beloved pet.

[haamel.livejournal.com]

Not a dry eye in the house, mine included. Isn't it ironic that we are often at our most eloquent regarding death?