If you want to bury your pet it is important that you check local bylaws, as it is illegal in some jurisdictions to bury a pet in urban or suburban areas. In the absence of specific local legislation, if you do decide to bury your pet, you should follow basic guidelines to protect human, animal and environmental health.
- Place a layer of lime at the bottom of the hole and afterwards, on top of the body.
- Ensure when digging a hole, that the top of the body is covered by at least two feet of soil. If this depth is not attainable, it is important to cover the hole with a large rock or wire to prevent scavenging by wildlife.
- Buried pets must not come in contact with any surface bodies of water or groundwater including inland lakes, streams, rivers or open drains. Nor should they be buried in sandy soils, black land, rocky soil, flood land or around home foundations.
- Pet graves must not be located within 200 feet of any stream or groundwater and must be at least 500 feet from any well used to supply potable drinking water.
- Make sure to compress the earth and level the floor.
- Finally, if you ever sell your property, it is important to notify the future buyers of the presence of any pets that may be buried on the land.
Dr. Jocelyn Anne Mason, DVM