MY DOG AND I, TILL DEATH DO US PART
Pet cemetery owner gives four-legged companions a dignified farewell
RALF Hendrichs was devastated when his Dobermann died. But he was even more distraught when he learnt that its carcass ended up in a public grinder along with those of roadkill and farm animals.
“We cried for days on end,” Hendrichs said, recalling the death of his faithful friend more than 15 years ago and its sad end that prompted him to set up a pet cemetery south of Berlin.
Hendrichs now not only manages the 10,000sq m cemetery called Tierhimmel (Animal Heaven), he also offers grieving pet owners comfort.
The graveyard at Teltow is the only one in the country offering pet burials as well as cremations.
“We often see very sad scenes here. People cry buckets,” the 66year-old said, noting that some even turn suicidal.
Domestic pets have claimed a firm spot in the hearts of Germans.
Today, 34.3 million people in the country of 80 million own a pet, up 45 per cent from a decade ago, according to a study by the Industrial Association of Pet Care Producers and the German Pet Trade and Industry Association.
And more people than before are ready to give their fourlegged friends a peaceful resting place.
Teltow cemetery started its first year in 2003 with 120 burials, but that has jumped to more than 4,000 annually now.
Sebastian Oehlandt said he went to the cemetery two or three times a week to spend time at the small tomb of his cat of almost 15 years, Hiro.
“Suddenly, there was this massive hole,” he said, recalling the day when Hiro died just before Christmas.
“I needed time for me,” said the 27-year-old, who lives with his father and another cat.
Another regular face at the cemetery, Karla Lemke, was inconsolable more than a year after losing her miniature pinscher, Alien.
“For the last 14 months since he died, I’ve come here every day, twice a day,” said the 63-year-old, who has turned Alien’s grave into the most decorated and colourful in the cemetery.
At the Teltow cemetery, boxes of tissues are available at every corner — at the entrance of the main building, the crematorium or the quiet room, where the walls are covered with photos of dearly departed companions.
And Hendrichs is there, too, to lend a listening ear; a pet owner’s grief needs to be taken seriously, he stressed. For those in need of professional support, the cemetery has a veterinarian at hand trained in psychology.
In a little hall at the Teltow cemetery, a dog is delicately put on a willow basket, half covered by a beige veil upon which lies a yellow rose.
The little white and claycoloured furball is given a final caress by his master, before being cremated.
“Some say that a dead animal is poisonous — that’s completely wrong,” said Hendrichs.
At the same time, the cemetery is also a business.
Each grave plot costs €180 (RM820) for every two years, plus €120 for burial costs, while cremations cost between €105 and €370, depending on the animal’s weight.
“With that, the owners can have their former companion close by all the time,” said Hendrichs.
His latest project will take that one step further. He is now planning a cemetery where pet and owner can share a grave.
“We’ve had so many requests, for years.”