SamanthaJane13
Demon Pazuzu/B!tchGoddess
Dead man’s dog killed to go with him to grave
From today's Arkansas Democrat Gazette:
LITTLE ROCK — Before Donald Ellis was buried last week at Oakland Cemetery in Monticello, his healthy 2-year-old Yorkie was euthanized and put to rest alongside him.
Ellis’ sister, Marilyn Mc-Daniel of Star City, said the family wanted to fulfill her brother’s desire to be buried with his pet, Tom Tom.
“Donnie said if he should ever die, he wanted his dog to go with him because nobody would love him like he did,” McDaniel said. “He loved that dog very much.”
It’s rare for a pet to be euthanized for the sole purpose of burial with its owner, funeral home employees, veterinarians and humane society officials said.
“I’ve been here four years,and I’ve never heard about that, thankfully,” said Martin Montorfano, a spokesman for the Humane Society of America.
Generally, after a person’s death, his pets are sold, put up for adoption, cared for by friends or family, or given to animal-rescue groups. In some cases, the pet owner will set aside money in a will to help a new owner care for the animal, said Barbara Hodges, veterinary consultant to the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association.
Hodges said there is nothing illegal about euthanizing a healthy pet for any reason.
Bob Boerner, who handles animal issues for the National Conference of State Legislatures, also said he knows of no state with a law prohibiting the euthanization of healthy pets.
Veterinarians refer to the practice as convenience euthanasia, although some refuse to do it for moral reasons.
In the case of Ellis and Tom Tom, veterinarian Jason Ross of the Star City Animal Hospital euthanized the dog after first pleading with the family to let it live, said Ruby Burton, director of the Humane Society of Southeast Arkansas.
Ross followed through with the family’s request because he feared that the dog would be killed anyway in a less-humane way, she said.
A message left for Ross on his cell phone was not returned Wednesday.
Burton said Tom Tom was buried at the foot of Ellis’ plot. Burton was not at his funeral.
Chuck Dearman of Stephenson Dearman Funeral Home in Monticello, which handled Ellis’ arrangements, said the funeral home has had a few requests in the past to have pets euthanized and buried alongside their owners.
“You don’t see it very often, but it’s the family’s call if they want to contact their veterinarian and have a pet put to sleep,” Dearman said. “If it is the person’s request to have that done, we certainly can’t stand in the way of it.”
Sherry Glover, executive secretary of the Arkansas Veterinary Medical Examining Board, said owners can have pets euthanized for any reason but that this case was odd because the dog was so young.
“Generally, the veterinarian should do what the family asks,” Glover said.
Bill Booker, president of Roller Funeral Homes with more than two dozen locations statewide, said he has never heard of a family burying a pet alongside a human, much less a family euthanizing a pet for burial near a human.
“I’m not familiar with it ... but from a funeral perspective, funeral people are trying to honor the wishes of the deceased and cooperate with the families if at all possible,” said Booker, who also serves on the Arkansas Cemetery Board.
This article was published today at 4:37 a.m.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 03/04/2010. Comments for this story have been disabled as of 3 p.m. Thursday.
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2010/mar/04/dead-mans-dog-killed-go-him-grave-20100304/
RIP, little Tom Tom :'(
I hope you find more love at The Rainbow Bridge than you found here on Earth... :'(
From today's Arkansas Democrat Gazette:
LITTLE ROCK — Before Donald Ellis was buried last week at Oakland Cemetery in Monticello, his healthy 2-year-old Yorkie was euthanized and put to rest alongside him.
Ellis’ sister, Marilyn Mc-Daniel of Star City, said the family wanted to fulfill her brother’s desire to be buried with his pet, Tom Tom.
“Donnie said if he should ever die, he wanted his dog to go with him because nobody would love him like he did,” McDaniel said. “He loved that dog very much.”
It’s rare for a pet to be euthanized for the sole purpose of burial with its owner, funeral home employees, veterinarians and humane society officials said.
“I’ve been here four years,and I’ve never heard about that, thankfully,” said Martin Montorfano, a spokesman for the Humane Society of America.
Generally, after a person’s death, his pets are sold, put up for adoption, cared for by friends or family, or given to animal-rescue groups. In some cases, the pet owner will set aside money in a will to help a new owner care for the animal, said Barbara Hodges, veterinary consultant to the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association.
Hodges said there is nothing illegal about euthanizing a healthy pet for any reason.
Bob Boerner, who handles animal issues for the National Conference of State Legislatures, also said he knows of no state with a law prohibiting the euthanization of healthy pets.
Veterinarians refer to the practice as convenience euthanasia, although some refuse to do it for moral reasons.
In the case of Ellis and Tom Tom, veterinarian Jason Ross of the Star City Animal Hospital euthanized the dog after first pleading with the family to let it live, said Ruby Burton, director of the Humane Society of Southeast Arkansas.
Ross followed through with the family’s request because he feared that the dog would be killed anyway in a less-humane way, she said.
A message left for Ross on his cell phone was not returned Wednesday.
Burton said Tom Tom was buried at the foot of Ellis’ plot. Burton was not at his funeral.
Chuck Dearman of Stephenson Dearman Funeral Home in Monticello, which handled Ellis’ arrangements, said the funeral home has had a few requests in the past to have pets euthanized and buried alongside their owners.
“You don’t see it very often, but it’s the family’s call if they want to contact their veterinarian and have a pet put to sleep,” Dearman said. “If it is the person’s request to have that done, we certainly can’t stand in the way of it.”
Sherry Glover, executive secretary of the Arkansas Veterinary Medical Examining Board, said owners can have pets euthanized for any reason but that this case was odd because the dog was so young.
“Generally, the veterinarian should do what the family asks,” Glover said.
Bill Booker, president of Roller Funeral Homes with more than two dozen locations statewide, said he has never heard of a family burying a pet alongside a human, much less a family euthanizing a pet for burial near a human.
“I’m not familiar with it ... but from a funeral perspective, funeral people are trying to honor the wishes of the deceased and cooperate with the families if at all possible,” said Booker, who also serves on the Arkansas Cemetery Board.
This article was published today at 4:37 a.m.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 03/04/2010. Comments for this story have been disabled as of 3 p.m. Thursday.
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2010/mar/04/dead-mans-dog-killed-go-him-grave-20100304/
RIP, little Tom Tom :'(
I hope you find more love at The Rainbow Bridge than you found here on Earth... :'(
