Business down at pet cemeteries
PLANTATION (AP) – In a drizzling rain, family and friends gather around an open grave to bid farewell to Rusty.
The 5-year-old dachshund from Boca Raton died after suffering an injury to his spinal cord that surgery could not fix.
The tearful send-off, held at the Broward Pet Cemetery in Plantation, is proof some bereaved pet owners will spare no expense in securing a special resting place for their animal companions.
But these days, with the economy in recession, fewer pet lovers are willing to spring for such a pricey farewell. Business is down at all three South Florida pet cemeteries, in Plantation, Boca Raton and Miami, managers and owners say.
“In this economy, who can afford it?” said Karen Mintz, who lives in Weston with her out-of-work husband and 10-year-old son.
The family spent hundreds to bury two beloved cats in a companion plot at the Broward Pet Cemetery. The two felines they have now won’t get the same treatment.
“We’ll have them cremated because it’s cheaper than having a burial plot and a headstone,” said Dan Mintz, who was laid off last year from his property appraiser job with Broward County.
Sandy Ketcham, the manager at Broward Pet Cemetery in Plantation, said she typically handled 30 funerals a year, but that number has dropped along with the economy.