New York Allows Pet Burials in Human Cemeteries

Laying a beloved pet to rest can be as agonizing as saying goodbye to a family member. Now, in New York, pet owners have the option of sharing their family gravesite with their BFF — Best Fur-pal Forever.

Since SevenPonds last reported on pet burials five years ago, the nationwide prohibition of burying a pet in a human cemetery has been lifted in New York, as long as the cemetery owner is willing. Before this groundbreaking legislation, animals could only be interred in pet cemeteries, which became popular during the 19th century. In some states, owners have long been permitted to be buried alongside their pets in these animal cemeteries, but until the New York law passed in 2016, pets buried in human cemeteries was a no-no.

Many of us think of our pets as members of the family.
Credit: U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Mareshah Haynes

“This legislation will roll back this unnecessary regulation and give cemeteries the option to honor the last wishes of pet lovers across New York,” noted Governor Andrew M. Cuomo when he signed the law two years ago.

Forest Lawn Group Cemeteries became the first cemetery business in New York to allow pet burials. Pet owners can bury dogs, cats and other cremated pets. Joseph Dispenza, president of Forest Lawn Group Cemeteries, said in a radio interview that allowing the interment of the cremated remains of domestic pets in human cemeteries is important because “It allows us to better meet the emotional needs of the many families and individuals who have a strong bond with their pets, including service dogs and police K9 corps.”

According to Legacy.com, similar bills are pending in Louisiana, Indiana, Massachusetts, and elsewhere. In Pennsylvania, cemeteries can offer one section for people, another for pets, and a third area for both. Virginia permits pets and owners to lie in a designated area of a cemetery, as long as they are buried in separate caskets.

Over half of the households in the United States own an estimated 70 million to 80 million dogs and 74 million to 96 million cats. Many of these pet owners have no difficulty understanding why one would want to be laid to rest beside a loved, loyal, affectionate and nonjudgmental four-legged companion. There are many stories of surviving relatives having been known to bend the rules and honor a loved one’s dying wish by sneaking a pet’s ashes into its owner’s cremation urn or coffin in the family plot. Movie actor Tony Curtis, the father of actress Jamie Lee Curtis, was openly buried in Las Vegas in 2010 along with the ashes of his dog, Jack.

The New York decision is part of a growing global movement to make it possible for pets and owners to rest in peace together, whether or not the animals are cremated. It follows a European trend that began in Germany a few years before the New York legislation passed.