The story of a grief-stricken woman who slept next to her dead dog for almost a month is as bizarre as it is tragic.
“I’m just not ready to let go,” the woman told Maguires Pet Cremation. While she telephoned the Westmeath-based cremation service five days after her beloved dog died, it was nearly a month before she was ready to part with the dog's remains.
Owner of Maguires, Jamie Maguire, explains why she encouraged the woman to hand over the dog's body, she also understood her grief.
“In that situation I was trying to encourage the lady to do the right thing. I offered to come and collect the dog and also gave her the option of dropping the dog out to us. She told us that she just wasn’t ready.
“Some people are just not able to cope. We have a counsellor on hand for cases like this named Lisa and often she will give them a bell.”
A former human embalmer, Jamie met her husband — third-generation funeral director Robert Maguire of Massey Bros Ltd — through work. Both companies operate independently of each other. While Robert caters for humans who have died, Jamie looks after their pets.
It really is a family affair, as Jamie's seven-year-old daughter Kristina sings for pets before their cremations.
When it comes to pet cremation every family is different, Jamie says.
“You can leave your pet at the vets which is what a lot of people do. They do have a service there but it normally takes around eight weeks.”
Her crematorium is used by pet lovers across the country and families normally have their pet’s ashes returned within 24 hours.
Jamie says the bond between owner and pet is very strong in many cases — with many animal lovers wanting their pet's ashes buried with them when they die. In the case of humans who outlive their pets, this is relatively straightforward. However, opening the grave of a dead person to make room for their pet can prove a little more complicated.
“We have to get written permission from the cemetery itself for the grave to be opened so the ashes can be interred,” Jamie explains. “Sometimes the dog will be left with a family member, maybe a son or daughter or a good friend. They would have known their wishes before they died and how important this was to them.
Jamie decided to set up the business nearly 10 years ago following the death of their family pet dog Larry who died after escaping into oncoming traffic. She recalls being devastated that his body was placed in a plastic bag secured with cable tie and labelled with his name in crude marker. Jamie believed that Larry deserved better and it prompted her to establish Maguires Pet Crematorium, with a view to affording family pets greater dignity in death.
“We like to treat pets with the same dignity as we do our human clients. We would never bag a pet. If we are collecting a pet they are brought away in a lined wicker basket. This is not for everyone — some people think it’s ridiculous. It all depends on whether you are an animal lover or not.”
In addition to the wicker basket, the service offered also includes a framed set of the animal’s paw and nose prints, and a piece of fur immortalised in a miniature glass bottle and velvet pouch.
Quirky requests are an everyday occurrence at Maguires Pet Cremation, Jamie admits.
“Many of the requests we get are very unusual. We have been asked to shave the dog completely with a razor. so the owner can keep the hair. Some people make jumpers from it.
“We’ve been asked for teeth for people to make necklaces out of. There have been instances where vets have removed the teeth from the pet after their death for the family to hold on to.
“People are really upset so they want to hold on to any part of the pet they can.”
Jamie says a compassionate ear is also key.
“Everyone has a different story. One person may have been through a terrible illness and the dog has been with them through it all. Some of them have lost children who the pets belonged to. There was an elderly lady crying and telling us that the dog was her only family.
“A number of people who don’t have any children also become super close to their pets. Things have definitely changed over the years. Before, animals were always kept outdoors. So many of the people that we speak to now have German shepherds who sleep in their beds with them.”
Pet owners have the option of leaving their pets in cold storage to delay the decaying process.
“A lot of dogs pass away in the kennels while their owners are on holiday. It might be the case where they are not going to be back for another two weeks. The majority of the time they will want to see the pet before they are cremated. It’s rare that they will let us go ahead without them.
“We can use cold storage to keep the dog until they are home. They can then come in to see the pet and say a proper goodbye.”
Clair Butler from Cobh in Cork, who is visually impaired, is among those who decided to have their pets cremated at the vet. Ashay had been her guide dog from the age of 18. She retired 10 years later, living out the rest of his days in the family home.
“Ashay was 17 years old when she died,” Clair told the . “I knew she could die any time. I had been building myself up mentally but it was still sudden in the end. Her organs were shutting down when they brought her to the vet.
“We were told that even if we hadn’t taken her to the vet she wouldn’t have lasted more than two hours. I was numb on the day it happened. It took a few days to hit and really register. There are a lot of things that went through my head. I was at a funeral and my parents took her to the vet. I felt a lot of guilt because I wasn’t with her when it happened.”
Clair, who received Ashay as a guide dog at the age of 18, said that Ashay had the impact and legacy of any respected human figure.
“She had clocked up so many relationships in her time with us. There was more love and condolences for her on Facebook than there would have been for any human on RIP.ie. Her trainer was particularly sad.
“It was strange to get her ashes back. We are still trying to figure out where we will spread them. We were thinking maybe the garden because that was where Ashay loved to run and play. Ashay was a character. She made so many friendships which meant I did too. She was always a conversation starter.”
