TIMONIUM, Md (WMAR) — For so many people, pets really are part of the family, and when they pass on, the grief is intense.
Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens has long had a pet cemetery and sanctuary where families honor them, but now they’ve opened up the Pet Loss Center to make the journey as easy as possible. The new resource is being dedicated this weekend.
“We like to think of pets as family and if they are part of the family, we need to have a great place where they can say goodbye and grieve,” said Amy Shimp, Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens general manager.
In 1967, Dulaney added their first pet memorial garden. When those 3,000 plots sold out, a new pet garden was created in 2010 called the pet sanctuary and next to it, the Faithful Friends garden where humans can be buried near their pets.
The Pet Loss Center is the latest addition. It opened earlier this year as a full service aftercare pet facility and funeral home, with a viewing room for people to come and say their final goodbyes.
“It’s very emotional. Visitation after the pets have gone is intense and the people come and their bond is just so incredible,” said Shimp. “We also have a place for people to bring their other dogs and cats to say goodbye because the brothers and sisters also need to grieve.”
The center is designed to have the feel of a cozy home, featuring tranquil, calming colors and comfortable furniture. The objective was to offer a quiet and serene environment appropriate for final rituals and goodbyes. They offer grief support, burial arrangements, funeral services, rituals, private cremation and memorial keepsakes for all beloved pets, from dogs and cats to lizards and ferrets.
It’s a resource that retired Department of Defense canine officer Fred O’Neal wishes was available when he was grieving the loss of his three working dogs over the last decade.
“Having a facility like this would have allowed officers or people to come and pay their respects if they wanted to. This would have made a big difference,” said O’Neal.
His first working dog was Renko.
“He was the first one you work with. First one you train with… My heart is with all my dogs but Renko was special,” said O’Neal.
They worked together for years before Renko retired and became the family dog. When he was 16 years old, his health started to deteriorate and O’Neal had to make the painful decision.
“The vet would say, ‘I know what you’re waiting for. You’re waiting for the dog to die.’ He said Renko isn’t going to pass on. He’s going to stay with you until you make the decision. When he started losing bowel control, is when I knew. He would look at you like ‘I’m so sorry’,” said O’Neal.
It was recommended to him to reach out to Dulaney Valley for his burial. They offer free burials for active and retired police and fire service K-9s.
“You treat them as though they are family and when it’s their time, you grieve for them just like you would a person,” said O’Neal.
He would go on to have two more working dogs, Senni and Clifford.
“[Senni] was a very loving dog, very caring dog,” said O’Neal.
He first worked with Senni before taking her in as a family pet after retirement. She was very close to O’Neal’s son, who was off at college when she got sick.
“We called and told him and he said ‘I’m on my way home’… When my son got home, he sat on the floor with Senni and Senni died in his arms,” said O’Neal.
Years later, working dog Clifford was retired early and O’Neal took him home.
“He had a lot of spunk; a very independent type of dog,” said O’Neal.
Just one year later, he got very sick and needed an operation that would have taken his quality of life so they made the decision to put him down.
All three are resting together at the pet sanctuary, which is now next to the new Pet Loss Center. It is being dedicated Saturday at 10 a.m. The Pet Blessing and Remembrance Ceremony honors all pets and service K-9s both past and present. The ceremony will conclude with a bubble release, a memorial tree planting, and unveiling of a dedication plaque.
Among the more than 4,000 pets who are interred at Dulaney Valley are dogs and cats, a pony, two potbellied pigs, a chinchilla, as well as a number of birds, guinea pigs and rabbits. Other pets of note include a thoroughbred racehorse, Elray Miss, who ran at Laurel Park Racetrack, a Cairn terrier who was named best Terrier at the 1988 Westminster Dog Show, and Boomer, a search and recovery Labrador retriever who was called to assist in the days following the September 11th attack on the Pentagon.
