Yesterday, my beloved dog Fausto passed away unexpectedly at five and a half years old (with no warning signs). I am heartbroken, as is my wife. For me, losing a dog is akin to losing a child, because my dogs are an extension of my family. Fausto was my third dog. While I am currently in shock, and peering at the computer screen with tear-filled eyes, I know that the only way that I will heal is to try to focus my attention on Buffalo, another one of my true loves. So despite my wanting to stay in bed and not deal with the world this week, I’m going do my best to keep things rolling at Buffalo Rising. Please bear with me if this is an off week editorially.
I’ll start off with a post that I have been thinking about for a while. Earlier this summer I learned that Forest Lawn Group Cemeteries is now accepting incidental burial of cremated domestic pets. The addendum to their policy followed passage of New York State’s Pet Burial Law. Apparently Forest Lawn is the first group of New York State regulated not-for-profit cemeteries to allow pets to be buried alongside their owners (it’s an option for NYS cemeteries, not a mandate). While it might be a bit morbid on this Monday morning to be talking about my eventual death, I am deeply comforted to know that some day I will be surrounded by my precious four-legged loved ones.
When I first learned about this new policy months ago, I could not even fathom the thought that Fausto would be gone by October. I feel as if this is all a dream, or a nightmare. But one of the only consoling things that I could think of since his passing is that someday we will be side by side for the rest of eternity, along with my other two four-logged loves, Loco and Mucky. I will always love you my baby bears. Thank you Forest Lawn for offering help to ease my pain through the kind gesture of opening your gates to Fausto and and his brothers, three of the loves of my life.
To learn more about Forest Lawn and this new policy, click here.