It’s Legal to Do This for Your Pet in Texas: Why You Shouldn’t

Losing a pet can be one of the most difficult things that happens to a family.

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You want to do everything possible for the animal you love, and how you say goodbye is so important. I know when we lost our first dog, Princess, it was heartbreaking for all of us. We chose to have her cremated, so we could take her ashes with us when we move.

Princess As A Puppy/Tamme Taylor, Townsquare Media

Pet Burial Laws in Texas

There are some rules about burying your pet in Texas. According to farewellpet.com, most states require you to bury or dispose of your pet within 24 to 48 hours of your pet's death. If you are having your pet buried in a pet cemetery, local authorities will allow you to keep them a little longer to arrange for burial.

Can My Pet Be Buried With Me?

Whole-family cemeteries allow full-body burials of a pet’s remains in the family cemetery plot, but there aren't many of them in Texas. The Green Pet-Burial Society lists one whole-family cemetery in Bastrop County. In addition to the family grounds, Eloise Woods Natural Burial Park, located in Cedar Creek, Texas also has a separate pet section.

Why Not to Bury Your Pet in Your Yard

According to blog site theconversation.com, backyard burial may seem like the easiest way to take care of your pet’s remains and keep them close by, but it can be dangerous for other pets and wildlife.

Most pets are put to sleep with an extremely concentrated drug - pentobarbital - that stays in the body for up to a year. If your pet's gravesite is disturbed by construction, water, or other means and is then eaten, it can make any animal that consumes it very ill or cause death.

Also, if your pet dies from a disease which could be spread to other animals or people, the body might also pose a risk. Diseases like parvovirus can spread quickly among dogs. If a mouse or bird is able to disturb the remains of your pet in either one of those situations, and another pet has contact with them, this can mean serious issues for the next animal. No one wants that to happen.

LOOK: 15 Pets You CAN'T Own in the City of Temple

Temple is a super pet-friendly place to live, but there are some animals city officials would really rather you not try to tame and keep in your home. Let's take a look at a few of the critters on the banned list.