The development of the pet funeral industry dates back to the early 20th century, with the emergence of private pet aftercare services in some foreign countries, such as burying pets in their own gardens. In 1957, the first pet cemetery in the United States, known as ‘Tear Park Pet Cemetery,’ was established in Los Angeles, California, marking a shift towards a more professional and scaled approach to pet funeral services.
In China, early methods of handling pet remains primarily involved abandonment or burial. However, with the improvement of living standards and an increased awareness of environmental protection and the importance of pets, more people are seeking a dignified departure for their pets, leading to a quiet rise in the pet funeral industry.
For many people, pets are no longer just animals. They are more like family members, accompanying us through happy or lonely days. They give us the purest love and companionship with their lifetimes and witness every bit of our lives. However, birth, aging, illness, and death are natural laws that everything in the world cannot escape. When a beloved pet passes away, the reluctance and grief are indescribable.
At this time, pet funeral services are particularly important. They provide pet owners with a respectful and decent way to place their deepest emotions and complete a solemn farewell. For example, some pet funeral institutions will carefully arrange farewell ceremonies. Owners can, in a warm and solemn atmosphere, touch their beloved pets for the last time and recall the beautiful moments of getting along in the past. Some will also help owners make souvenirs with elements such as pet hair and paw prints, so that when owners miss them in the future, they can have tangible items to carry this emotion, as if pets are still accompanying them in some way. Just like a child once wrote a thank-you letter to a pet in pinyin and Chinese characters: ‘xie xie ni pei ban le wo 7 nian.’ Simple but sincere words reflect the important position of pets in their hearts and also highlight the significance of a proper farewell through funerals. This is a continuation and placement of the owner’s deep affection for pets. In the past, many people were accustomed to directly burying pets. But in fact, such a practice may bring many environmental pollution problems. When a pet’s body decomposes in the soil, it is easy to breed a large number of bacteria. These bacteria will spread through soil infiltration and rainwater washing. If unfortunately it pollutes domestic water, the consequences will be unimaginable. Moreover, casually burying pets may also damage the surrounding vegetation environment and affect the ecological balance. In contrast, professional pet funeral services adopt a more scientific and environmentally friendly treatment method. For example, for pet cremation, pet funeral institutions use special cremation equipment to achieve pollution-free treatment of pets. The entire process is carried out under strict environmental protection control, effectively avoiding environmental pollution caused by improper handling of pet remains. First-tier cities basically prohibit pet burials. For example, Beijing has cleaned up and leveled historical pet cemeteries in Daxing, Fengtai, Changping and other areas. While releasing a large amount of land resources, it also better protects the city’s ecological environment. Therefore, from an environmental protection perspective, choosing pet funeral services is a more responsible approach.They dedicate their brief lives to accompanying their owners loyally, bringing us endless joy and warmth, and leaving a profound mark in our lives. When they reach the end of their lives, providing them with a dignified and respectful departure through pet funeral services is a deep expression of the owner’s respect for life.
Pet funeral institutions offer a range of services, such as staff meticulously grooming the deceased pets, combing their fur, and ensuring they leave this world clean and with dignity; some also hold solemn rituals to honor the life of the pet. These practices reflect the reverence for the life of pets. Just as we respect the life cycle of every individual, pets also deserve this solemn ‘final journey’. Every life is an independent and beautiful individual, deserving of our care and an appropriate funeral to bid them farewell, which is our gratitude and return for the companionship and love they have given us. Nowadays, the prices for pet funeral services vary greatly, from tens of yuan to tens of thousands. This is influenced by various factors, such as different service packages, regional disparities, and the positioning of the businesses themselves. In terms of service packages, common pet funeral services include different items. For example, individual cremation and group cremation have a significant price difference. In some pet funeral shops, individual pet cremation services (for pets under 5kg) may cost around 673 yuan after discount, which includes individual cremation, home pick-up within 10 kilometers, cremation certificate with paw print book, hair memento, and pet ceramic urn, among other items; while group pet cremation services (for pets under 5kg) may only cost around 273 yuan after discount. Adding additional ritual services, such as chanting for the deceased, often requires 400 yuan per master, and typically 2 to 4 people are invited for a single session, which significantly increases the overall cost. From a regional perspective, different cities have varying consumption levels and market supply and demand relationships, which also cause price fluctuations. In first-tier cities, the overall price of pet funeral services tends to be higher, while in some smaller cities, the prices are relatively lower. Additionally, the positioning of each business plays a key role in pricing. Some focus on high-end services, offering flower funerals, high-end individual cremation with hair and paw print, and blessing ceremonies, with such packages costing up to 1293 yuan after discount; others take a more affordable approach, providing basic cremation and simple farewell services at a lower cost. Therefore, when choosing pet funeral services, pet owners can consider their actual needs and financial situation to choose a suitable service for themselves and their beloved pets.Although the pet funeral industry is growing rapidly, it faces numerous challenges in its operations. Firstly, attracting customers is a significant difficulty. Pet funeral services are low-frequency, triggered demands; only when a pet passes away do owners search for related services, and few people actively pay attention otherwise. Moreover, many consumers are even unaware of the existence of such services. Additionally, the industry faces numerous restrictions in advertising, such as elevator, bus billboard, and subway advertisements, which are at risk of being removed, preventing large-scale promotion. Therefore, businesses rely on local service platforms, social media, or referrals from existing customers to acquire clients, making business expansion relatively challenging. Secondly, there is a lack of industry regulation. According to regulations, pet funeral service companies must obtain an ‘Animal Epidemic Prevention Condition Qualification Certificate’ and pass environmental impact assessments to acquire ‘animal harmless treatment qualifications’ before applying for a business license. However, many organizations do not have the required qualifications and can only operate by affiliating with others, existing in a gray area. For instance, some shops have been fined and had their illegal earnings confiscated for operating animal harmless treatment facilities without the required certificate. It is also common to find merchants with incomplete business qualifications or discrepancies between their business scope and actual operations, which not only poses potential risks to consumers but also hinders the healthy and standardized development of the industry. For many pet owners, pet funerals hold irreplaceable importance. They are a way to reciprocate the years of companionship from their pets and to show the last affection, providing a place for their inner reluctance to rest. In their eyes, pets have long been like family, accompanying them through countless happy or sad days, witnessing every detail of life. Pets have dedicated their entire lives to the purest love and companionship, and when they reach the end of their lives, owners naturally wish to send them off with respect and dignity. For example, some owners may choose a pet cemetery, selecting a warm ‘final resting place’ for their beloved pets, engraving the pet’s name, birth and death dates, and heartfelt words on the tombstone. They can visit the cemetery on special occasions like Qingming Festival or the pet’s memorial day, as if the pet is still there, silently accompanying them, providing an emotional support. Other owners prefer pet cremation services, watching staff meticulously groom and comb the deceased pet, ensuring they enter the crematorium clean and dignified, and receiving the ashes in an exquisite urn. This entire process makes the owner feel solemn, knowing their pet has been treated with the respect it deserves, alleviating their grief as if completing a solemn farewell without regrets.
Moreover, some pet funeral institutions will also help create souvenirs with elements such as pet hair and paw prints. When the owner misses their pet in the future, these tangible items carry that deep emotion, as if the pet has never really left. For example, there was a child who wrote a thank-you letter to the pet in pinyin and Chinese characters: “xie xie ni pei ban le wo 7 nian.” Simple but sincere words fully show the important position of the pet in their heart and also highlight that for the owner, pet funeral is a continuation and placement of this emotion.
So they think pet funeral is very necessary. Of course, there are also some people who hold an opposing attitude towards pet funeral. They have many concerns. Some people think that the current pet funeral is a means for businesses to make money by taking advantage of people’s deep feelings for pets. They see that there is a large price difference in pet funeral services, ranging from dozens of yuan to tens of thousands of yuan. They feel that there is an overpriced situation and it is not worth spending so much money. For example, the price difference between individual cremation and collective cremation is quite large. Coupled with some additional ritual services, such as chanting sutras for transcendence, the overall cost will be even higher. Moreover, due to different consumption levels in different cities and different business positioning, the prices are even more uneven. This makes them feel that this is over-consuming the owners’ feelings for pets and they think there is no need to go to great lengths to choose pet funeral services. There are also some people who think that pets are just animals after all. There is no need to have a set of funeral procedures like treating human deaths. In the past, people were used to directly burying or abandoning pet corpses. Although now they know that this may not be very environmentally friendly, they think that simple handling will not matter much. There is no need to specially spend money and entrust pet funeral institutions to do those seemingly “fancy” arrangements. They think that is formalism and a waste of time and money. So they hold a negative view of pet funeral. Whether pet funeral is necessary actually varies from person to person and needs to be considered by taking into account various factors. First of all, the depth of the relationship between the owner and the pet plays a key role. For those owners who regard pets as family members and pets have accompanied them through long years and witnessed many important moments in life, the departure of pets is like losing a close relative. They often hope to send off their beloved pets in a respectful and decent way through funeral services, place their deep emotions, complete a solemn farewell, and let their reluctance have a place to rest. For example, some elderly people whose children are not around all year round, pets are their most intimate companions. After the pet passes away, they are willing to choose pet funeral to send the pet off on its last journey to comfort their lonely hearts.Secondly, one’s own economic strength cannot be overlooked. Currently, there is a significant price variation in pet funeral services, ranging from tens of yuan to tens of thousands of yuan. High-end service packages, which include flower funerals, individual cremation with hair and paw print preservation, and prayer ceremonies, are quite expensive. On the other hand, there are more affordable services that only provide basic cremation and simple farewell arrangements.
Therefore, pet owners must decide whether and which level of funeral service to choose based on their financial situation. If financially capable, they might prefer comprehensive and thoughtful services; however, if financially constrained, they might only consider simpler and more cost-effective methods. Additionally, the understanding of the significance of pet funerals also affects the decision-making process. Some owners deeply agree that pet funerals reflect respect for life, have environmental significance, and provide emotional support, making them consider it very necessary. Other owners may think that pets are just animals and that simple disposal of the remains is sufficient, without the need to spend additional money and effort on funerals, thus considering pet funerals non-essential. In summary, everyone’s situation is different, and it is necessary to weigh the necessity of pet funerals based on one’s own reality. People have different views and choices regarding pet funerals, and we should respect each individual’s decision based on their own position and beliefs. Those who support pet funerals value the important place pets hold in their lives, treating them as family and friends, wishing for their pets to leave with dignity, and seeking to continue and place their deep emotions towards their pets through funerals. Whether choosing pet cemeteries or cremation, these are their ways of expressing love and deserve understanding. Those who oppose pet funerals may see them as a means for businesses to profit from people’s affection for pets, considering the prices inflated and emotional consumption excessive. Others may think that pets are just animals and that there is no need for complicated funeral processes, simple disposal is enough, and their concerns also stem from their own considerations and should be tolerated. After all, each person’s experience with pets is different, and their feelings and thoughts about the departure of their pets vary, as do their financial conditions, leading to diverse choices. We live in a tolerant society, and different attitudes towards pet funerals should be respected.