WASHINGTON – In the office at Resthaven Memorial Gardens in Frederick, Md., visitors are greeted by the wagging tails and wet noses of Giget and Jackie, canine family members of Resthaven President Richard Cody.
Cody, a longtime dog lover, recently established a pet section on the grounds of the gardens. And he’s been receiving a lot of feedback about the new service.
“Over the years, we’ve had many requests from property owners that have pets buried here, asking us why they can’t be buried with their pets,” Cody says.
Now, they can do just that.
The new section, the Garden of Faithful Companions, just opened, even though Resthaven is still completing the landscaping on the property. According to Resthaven General Manager Bill Barrett, 28 plots in the 400-plot section, have been sold thus far.
These spaces can be used for you, your spouse, kids and the family dog.
“Part of the reason we did this was the anticipation that there would be an even greater demand for it in the future,” Barrett says.
Some pet cemeteries in New York and Florida offer a similar service.
In Virginia, there is a green burial option if you want to spend eternity with Fido. At Eco Eternity Forest near Middleburg, Va., instead of buying a burial plot, you purchase a tree, and your ashes and the ashes of your pet are buried at its base.
The Humane Society of the United States estimates 78.2 million people own dogs in the U.S., and 86.4 million people own cats.
Many of these owners consider their pets part of the family. Now, spending an eternity with the whole family can be a reality.
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