Natural Death Centre has info on natural burial grounds (embalming not allowed) along with places to find natural caskets made from willow, bamboo or seagrass (some are made with banana leaf), and find info on home and sea burials.
Avoid sending plantable memorial cards with pets, as many flowers (including lilies are toxic. Also know memorial trees to avoid near horses (yew, oak). Instead, consider donating to Trees for Life, which rewilds the Highlands. You can’t ‘name your tree’ but it does more good.
a simple exploration of death & grief
Bird is Dead is an honest simple exploration of death and grief for children. With illustrations by a therapist-turned-artist, this uses gentle words and images to make death an approachable topic. Find free grief counselling from Cruse.
Bird is dead. Yesterday he was alive. How do the other birds know? On your back + feet up = dead. Some of the birds cry a little. And that’s alright. Crying together can be nice. When it’s time to give Bird a funeral, they reminisce about him, and then have tea with worms (or cake, if you don’t like worms).
In a simple but warm way, this picture book of collaged birds can help discussions with children about what happens when someone (or an animal dies), how to understand feelings of grief and how people experience loss differently, and have a variety of emotions, when something tragic happens. This sensitive book offers space for children and adults to talk about death.
a book on navigating the loss of your pets
Broken Heart, Shared Heart, Healing Heart is a unique book on handling the death of a beloved pet. Where do you turn, especially in a world where many people don’t really care. This book is different, in that it’s by the creator of a groundbreaking chaplaincy program in the largest animal hospital in the southern hemisphere. So it comes loaded with compassion and faith. It also covers faith-based help like prayers and burial services.
Acknowledging the deep pain that pet loss causes, the book offers gentle guidance on how to navigate this difficult time, and is grounded in practical advice, and offers real help for broken hearts. The book also explores religious traditions and long-held teachings (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist) to draw comforting and reassuring answers on the afterlife of animals and if you’ll meet them again. A blend of spiritual and emotional care you need at this time.
Blue Cross offers a free service where you can call, email or chat with a trained pet bereavement counsellor. Barbara Allen helped develop Australia’s first animal chaplaincy program at Lort Smith Animal Hospital and is passionate about animals and stewardship of all creation. She serves as an ordained minister and a volunteer grief support person that unites animals and children.
how to commemorate your beloved pets
America’s Paw Pods is a company that began when the founder had his beloved dog cremated, and was sent the ashes in a plastic bag. These biodegradable pods are for all shapes and sizes, and all species for an eco-friendly sendoff.
Avoid sending plantable memorial cards with pets, as many flowers (including lilies are toxic. Also know memorial trees to avoid near horses (yew, oak). Instead, consider donating to Trees for Life, which rewilds the Highlands. You can’t ‘name your tree’ but it does more good.
the unique stories & glories of graveyards
A Tomb with a View is a unique book that is not as ghoulish as it sounds. Winner of the Scottish Non-fiction book of the year, Peter takes us on a tour of graveyards, visiting the country’s best burial grounds. So push open the rusting gate, push back the ivy and take a look inside…
A considered and moving book on the timely subject of how the dead are remembered, and how they go on working below the surface of our lives. Hilary Mantel
Ross makes a likely idiosyncratic guide, and one finishes the book, feeling strangely optimistic about the inevitable. The Observer
Never has a book about death, been so full of life. James Joyce and Charles Dickens would’ve loved it. It also reveals Peter Ross to be among the best non-fiction writers in the country. Andrew O’Hagan
