Somer Trees – Living Memorials For Pets
We who choose to surround ourselves
with lives even more temporary than our
own, live within a fragile circle;
easily and often breached.
Unable to accept its awful gaps,
we would still live no other way.
We cherish memory as the only
certain immortality, never fully
understanding the necessary plan….
Irving Townsend
The death of a pet can be an emotional journey, and sadly often not helped by living in a society where death is rarely talked about, and the death of a pet even less so. Many people – even close friends and relatives may dismiss the death of a pet as being unimportant, and comments such as: “he was only a dog” or “you can always get another” are all too common.
The bonds we share with our pets throughout their lives are special and unique but often not openly acknowledged, and hence we are often unprepared for the extent of grief we feel when they die. Fortunately many people do understand and there is an increasing amount of help and support for those that need it, and no one should feel embarrassed or ashamed for seeking it out.
How to remember a pet is a highly personal decision. Some people move on as if nothing had happened and seem never to think about the past. For others a photo album or painting on the wall is sufficient, whilst others may feel the need for a burial based around their religious beliefs. There are no rights or wrongs, and no one should feel guilty or ‘wrong’ for wanting to remember in a particular way.
Planting something living in your garden is an option I offer for any pet or companion animal. As a gardener I live with the seasons and the cycle of life – from new life in the spring to maturity in summer, old age in autumn and finally death in winter. It is a never ending cycle, and as winter draws to a close new life emerges as the new spring takes hold.
A living memorial is the perfect way to represent the end of one life and the start of another. What to plant and where to plant it can take many forms and to a large extent will probably depend on the amount of space available. It can be an entire woodland if space allows, or a single small tree, a climbing rose, flowering shrub, a wild flower meadow, a clump of spring bulbs, a plant in a pot, or anything else that is horticulturaly possible. Planting can also be tailored to the particular pet – spring bulbs could be planted in the sunny spot in the garden where a dog or cat used to sleep; or planting based around a particular colour theme, name, religious belief or the breed’s origins.
A living memorial can be planted along with the ashes - or with the bodies of small animals - or can simply be planted as a memorial in its own right – there are no hard and fast rules and it’s whatever feels appropriate.
