Hundreds of dead pets dumped

[Maine-ah]

The carcasses of hundreds of pets from the Washington region have been dumped in a rural West Virginia town, and a Chantilly company that was paid to cremate the animals is the focus of an investigation, Fairfax County police said yesterday.

Investigators with West Virginia's Division of Natural Resources said about 250 animals -- dogs, cats, rabbits, raccoons, white-tailed deer, foxes, even an exotic bird -- were discovered Saturday morning by a woman walking on private residential property in Hampshire County, about 70 miles west of Dulles International Airport.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11152396/

[Vinca]

1. It's horrible stories such as this that compel me to stay with my

cats if they have to be euthanized. I'm with them until their last breath. Extremely painful, but at least I know something like this hasn't happened to them.

[murielm99]

2. My husband stayed with our dog until her last breath.

Then he brought her home and we buried her body in the yard.

It is hard, but the best way to know everything is all right.

[Ezlivin]

8. We did the same with both of our "girls" of 17 years...

Our cats were our family (we're childless) and when they had to be euthanized, we held them during the whole procedure, then carried them home and buried them in our backyard. They died within 5 days of each other, which was pretty damned hard.

We've got a couple of Russian Blues now and we love them "girls".

It's a shame that our government can't treat its own people as well as most DUers treat their pets.

[bleedingheart]

3. I don't think that is the issue here....

these pets probably had owners who were there for their pets..BUT...when the bodies were sent for disposal the crematory service decided to dump the body (costs less) rather than to cremate it ($$$)...so there may be pet owners who got a box of cinders and not fluffy's remains...

I don't know that there was any cruelty here, just a basic lack of caring for the remains in a dignified way which is what the service had promised...

"Family Pet Cremations's Web site outlines its philosophy: "Our caring and compassionate staff are professionals. We treat your pet as if they were our own. Out of respect we follow the same strict cremation guidelines as funeral homes."

[The Stranger]

5. It graphically illustrates the cost of people's consumption of animals

as pets, and raises questions about puppy mills, failure to spay and neuter, and endless pet owners who fail to take care of the animal once it isn't "cute" any longer, or when they decide they have to move and it would be too much trouble to take it with them.

[Arkansas Granny]

6. I think you've got it. It's not a cruelty issue here, but a scam that

was played on pet owners for a service that wasn't rendered. I'm also wondering if there could be a health issue here with so many bodies dumped. If any of these animals were diseased, I would think that the danger of transmitting these diseases would be a big problem. Also, did they have permission of the landowner to dump them there?

[0007]

4. Didn't junior do something like this in the funeral home scam

just before he took presidency?

[AngryAmish]

7. PETA?