Owners pay to be buried with their pets

From Egyptian pharaohs to Anglo-Saxon warriors, humans have been buried alongside their most sacred or treasured animals. Now the practice is making a comeback with an increasing number of pet owners seeking burials with their favourite cats, dogs and horses.

Planners in Lincolnshire last week approved the latest in a series of joint animal and human cemeteries where masters can be interred close to their beloved companions rather than being cremated. A handful of joint cemeteries even allow pets and owners to be buried in the same plot.

The trend has been accelerated by the growth in non-denominational 'natural' sites for humans that use biodegradable coffins and often have woodland settings without rigid lines of plots or fixed headstones; such layouts make it easier to add pets. Penny Lally, who runs a pet crematorium, cemetery and 'woodland burial place' in Penwith, west Cornwall, has laid to rest more than 30 owners alongside their animals since she began allowing joint graves in 2003 and has more than 120 forward bookings.
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