What is a cremation? What is a private cremation? How do I know I'm going to get my own pet back? What size urn do I need for my pet? What is a communal cremation? How deep do you bury a pet? What kinds of animals do you have buried at Rolling Acres Memorial Gardens? Is it stupid caring this much for a pet? What do other people do? What are the alternatives to a casket? How do I know this will always be a pet cemetery? How long do you wait to bury another pet in the same space? Can I be buried with my pet? Can I put toys in with my pet? What happens if my pet dies on the weekend? What is a cremation? Cremation is simply the hastening of natural processes by a clean, sanitary and entirely modern method, which is quickly effected by a clean, intense flame that returns the body to its original elements. All that remain are the calcified bone fragments, and are called "cremains". What is a private cremation? At Rolling Acres Memorial Gardens, private cremation is where your pet is cremated by himself. Your pet is the only pet in the cremation chamber at the time he/she is being cremated. You get your pet's cremains back. However, you should ask other cremation providers what their definition of "private or individual cremation" is. How do I know I'm going to get my own pet back? Because Rolling Acres Memorial Gardens is doing the cremation. We have a systems of checks and balances by which we keep track of your pet. These include when your pet is picked up at one of the veterinary clinics or brought to Rolling Acres Memorial Gardens, an authorization form is filled out. Before the pet is taken to the crematory, an identification tag is placed on your pet. This identification tag stays with your pet throughout the cremation process. When the cremation process is complete, your pet's cremains, along with his tag, are brought into our office. The cremains are then packaged for return to the family. What size urn do I need for my pet? For a rule of thumb, we use one cubic inch of urn per pound of pet. This is, if your pet weighted 50 pounds when he was healthy, he would normally need an urn that was at least 50 cubic inches (c.i.) in size. What is a communal cremation? Several pets are cremated at the same time. Their cremains are scattered on our cemetery grounds, in our Prairie View Garden, on the west side of our cemetery. They stay at Rolling Acres Memorial Gardens for Pets. Families are welcome to visit. How deep do you bury a pet? Depending on the size of the pet and/or the casket, the graves are dug 26-32" deep, (allowing for 18" of dirt on top of the burial container). What kinds of animals do you have buried at Rolling Acres Memorial Gardens? Any pet a family has loved. We have dogs, cats, horses, an Angus steer, rabbits, hamsters, snakes, ferrets, birds, pot bellied pigs, and fish. Is it stupid caring this much for a pet? Absolutely not!! Many times in our lives a pet may have been the only one who really understood us or may have been with us at a time when no human was there for support. In many cases our pets are the only children we have and even the only family we have. A person develops an intense relationship with his pet. It is perfectly normal to grieve over the loss of such a relationship. What do other people do? Some people live in an area where burial in the back yard is legal, however in most metropolitan areas it is not. If you bury your pet in the back yard, you might consider that your backyard might not always be your backyard. It could be somebody's swimming pool or an apartment complex. Some people leave the disposition of their pet up to their veterinarian or the city. But there is no magical burial ground. Those pets are generally mass cremated, and sometimes their cremated remains end up in the landfill. In some areas of the country, they are taken to the landfill or the rendering plant. What are the alternatives to a casket? You may provide a container of your own, meeting guidelines of the Cemetery of course, or the pet is placed in a 4 mil-ply body bag. You are welcome to provide a blanket or favorite throw that your pet liked to lay on at home. How do I know this will always be a pet cemetery? The cemetery at Rolling Acres Memorial Gardens is deeded in the Platte County, MO, courthouse to only be a cemetery. The deed to the property is restricted such that it will only be a cemetery. An established trust fund will care for the cemetery in future years. How long do you wait to bury another pet in the same space? We never bury another pet in the space where your pet has been buried. Once you purchase the interment rights to a space at Rolling Acres Memorial Gardens, you own those interment rights forever. We bury only one pet per space, unless the pets have been cremated. Then we generally allow two inurnments per space. Can I be buried with my pet? Yes, but you must be cremated before you can be buried at Rolling Acres Memorial Gardens. Can I put toys in with my pet? Yes, you are welcome to put in a toy, photographs, a letter, a favorite snack, or anything of this nature. What happens if my pet dies on the weekend? One of our staff is always on call, after office hours, evenings and weekends. Our office telephone system will prompt you on how to leave a message for immediate assistance. Then the staff member will pick up the message, promptly return your call and will provide whatever assistance you need. Copyright © 2000 - 2012 Rolling Acres Memorial Gardens, Inc. Designed and maintained by Cubit Designs™ E-mail: webmaster@visitrollingacres.com