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urn

139

Five years ago, I stood in PetSmart as my best friend, Quail, screamed and ran toward me holding a maroon donkey with floppy ears and crossed eyes

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

91

The plan: We'd bring Sereno's ashes home, then play with my other dog, Bonny, while eating Sereno's favorite food (carrots, oddly enough)

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

79

You can hire a chaplain to attend your pet's death, or a psychic to communicate with him after

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

76

I've been thinking about this lately because Bonny is now 17, and I'm doing my best to prepare for losing her

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

75

So instead, we ended up with a squeaky memorial

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

70

I'd learned the importance of a good death experience--for pets and their owners

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

67

I had him cremated and got his ashes back

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

66

As a veterinary technician, I'd helped euthanize hundreds of dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, and even fish

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

61

At that moment, our cart contained a 4-foot-long stuffed snake, a squeaky pig, and a cardboard box filled with the ashes of my 14-year-old dog, Sereno

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

61

In the years since Sereno died, pet death has become an enormous industry

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

58

It's not like anyone says, "Here are your options for memorializing Fluffy"

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

57

So I got a vet to euthanize Sereno at home

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

56

"Sereno would have loved this," she said

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

53

I'd sat in exam rooms or on living room floors, in beds and backyards, holding strangers' hands as they sobbed, told stories, prayed, or sat in silence

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

49

We'd come to PetSmart figuring we'd buy a dog urn, but it only had supplies for live pets

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

49

To some people, this stuff probably sounds insane

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

44

You can buy a wood or metal urn (even at PetSmart), a life-size urn that looks like your dog, or a tiny bone-shaped one to wear around your neck

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn

44

Have your pet cryopreserved, freeze-dried, or turned into a diamond you can wear on your finger

Jun 6 '07 -Home- www.prevention.com -sereno,dog,urn