This may be an odd topic but what do you do after your animals die? I lost my first working rabbit today. He was awesome and I think really enjoyed performing, he was a natural and would pose perfectly for pictures.

What do you do with the bodies? If you work with a lot of animals there is going to be deaths. Do you cremate them? Bury them in the back yard? Pet cemetery? Or just dispose of them? (I won't be going that route with him.)

I am torn with what to do, the ground is still frozen so it won't be easy to go the back yard route.

Thanks for your input.

Beowulf T. Wonderbunny was buried in the woods out back with a broken-wand ceremony to mark his fourteen years in the business.

Living down south I do not need to worry about frozen ground, but I will bury my bunnies in my back yard when they pass away.

This might sound weird, but I guess you could freeze your bunny until you can bury him in your yard.

My two working rabbits, Butterscotch and Hot Fudge, passed last year at age 12.
They are buried in the back yard, along with onc cat, and one dog.

Billy

Animal Control will also help you dispose of your loved pet. Usually a city or county run organization. These are the same people that take care of the stray animal problems in your area.

Just burying in a plot of ground may violate health codes in your area, and may result in fines for you.

I did a search for you, you should call 311, Animal Services Agency for the dead animal to be picked up.

Read more about it here:
http://www.winnipeg.ca/cms/animal/contactus.stm

Thanks for the help. Technically I believe it is illegal to bury animals in the back yard in my city.

Do not call for them to be picked up, all they do is put them in an incinerator. I have seen this done with other pets as well. Forget the city ordinance, for goodness sake. This is Family we are talking about, not just a pet that you feed! Pick a spot away from all activity, bury the critter with a few kind words. And then don't tell wmhegbli what you done....LOL. No one needs to know but you and the God above! Sorry to hear of your loss. I have worked with Animal Sanctuaries that freeze there lost ones until an autopsy can be done.

He was my dad's little buddy as much as mine. I was living in my parents home when I first got him and there was always a connection between the two of them, in fact he died in my dads arms while I was out at a show with my other rabbit.

My dad will be burying him in his backyard as soon as the ground thaws. I did look into cremation and it would cost $150.00 if you want the ashes back.

I don't know if I will be going through this process with my other animals, I don't feel strong about bodies either human or animal. After the life force is gone they are no longer there. This guy deserves better though as he was with me through my growing stages and helped me get where I am now.

He actually went to a vet the day before as it was obvious something was wrong, they said they could do a full string of tests and it would cost around $1000 but there wasn't much use. It was better that he went where he was then at the vet.

His cage wont be empty for long as I will be getting another one in 2 weeks, the circle of life continues.

I am so sorry for your loss, Ryan. At least he died in your dad's arms. Almost all of my beloved furred, feathered, and scaly ones are cremated. Somehow, having their ashes helps me feel better. I have buried some, regulations and codes be d*mned. They truly are my family and have a perfect right to be treated with honor when crossing into the Spirit World.

Chris is right. Forget what WmHegbli said and bury your friend in the back yard. Just make sure the grave is at least 24" deep. Wildlife creature will dig up the remains if they are close to the surface. I have 3 cats, two rabbits, at half a dozen doves buried. I'm sure if I had called animal control 11 times, they'd be looking at me rather closely.

I pick a nice area in my back yard and bury them there. I then plant flowers in the area. Luckily I've only had to do this once.

If it's a small animal, I bury them. A larger animal I cremate. When I'm gone, I will be cremated and all the beloved ashes will be buried with me, mixed in with mine.

If you have a USDA license to perform with a rabbit,(and you should) the veterinarian has filled out a plan of action in the event of your animals demise; burying the rabbit in your back yard will not fly with the inspector on your next inspection.

The USDA doesn't have any jurisdiction over me as I'm in Canada. However that is something that American performers should really think about.

So we just staple a copy of our hassenpfeffer recipe to the back of the vet certificate?

YEP!!!

The receipt must be in triplicate; staple two copies to the vet certificate and toss the last copy in the trash, the trash must be retained for two years to be in compliance of all government regulations