Cremation of pet dogs a major concern

NEW DELHI: For Umang, a resident of Gulmohar Park, getting his dog cremated in the national capital was a nghtmare. When he lost his adorable Lhasa apso named Scooby last year, he was left with the Hurculean task of cremating his dog. He knew better than to throw it off on the roadside.

Finally, after copious amount of research, he decided to electronically cremate his dog at Paws To Heaven at Vasant Kunj. He also planted a plant in the name of his pet in the small garden present there.

Like Umang, Riya, from Noida, did not know where to bury her dog when it died a few months back. Not being aware of the cremation services offered in the national capital, she had to bury her pet on a ground behind Amity University in Noida. The ground is used for burying pet dogs from the houses nearby.

With the increase in number of pet dogs in Delhi, the problem of cremating or burying them has become a major concern. There are occasions when dogs are left on the road when they die because their owners do not know a place to bury them. Decomposition of their bodies cause bad odour and lead to accumulation of flies and parasites.

On the other hand, dog owners are forced to drive to outskirts of the city or to abandoned grounds to bury their beloved pets. Several bodies are also buried on the banks of Yamuna, which pollute the river.

There are very few private facilities that offer burial and cremation services for dogs in Delhi. They charge anything ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000, depending on the weight of the dog’s body. Some of these crematoriums provide electronic crematories with gardens and prayer rooms.

Garden of Eternal Peace in Rajokri is the first animal shelter in India that provides proper facilities for dog burial and is part of the Limca Book of Records for the same.