The head of a suburban Chicago funeral business says more people are opting to be buried with their beloved departed pets in family plots.
Pets typically are buried in pet-only cemeteries, but Louis Rago, president of Memorial Traditions, said at least two or three times a month he is asked about what he calls "pet-friendly" burials.
A 40-acre site has been set aside for pet/owner burials at the Eden Park Cemetery in Schiller Park, Ill., and a 20-acre site is "pet-friendly" at the Pine View Cemetery in Beach Park, the Chicago Sun-Times said.
"It sounds funny, but some people love their pets more than they love some of the family members," Rago told the newspaper.
Since pets usually die earlier, he said the pet is buried about 7 1/2 feet deep in a concrete vault and the owner is buried about 6 feet deep above the animal when they depart.
The burials are not just for Fluffy and Rover.
A woman recently buried her daughter's black and white pet guinea pig in a family plot.
© Copyright 2006 by United Press International
