California bill allows pets to be buried with owners.
A Bill to Allow Pets to be Buried with Their Owners Returns to California State Senate
A bill seeking to allow cemeteries to allocate areas where pets can be buried alongside their owners will return to the California State Senate for discussion after the session resumes from summer recess on August 14.
The bill was authored by Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) in response to the increasing number of pet owners who wish to be buried with their beloved animals as a way to express their affection.
“For the majority of Californians who own pets, our furry friends are more than just friends—they are family,” Ms. Irwin said in an analysis of the bill. “As such, it is natural for owners to want to keep their furry members close in the afterlife to celebrate and honor the joy they brought to them.”
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Assembly Bill 528, if enacted, would grant public or private cemeteries in the state the right to establish a designated section on their grounds exclusively for the interment of deceased pets alongside their owners.
However, while pets and their owners can be placed together within a shared plot, niche, crypt, or vault, the proposed law mandates that the remains of the two must be kept in distinct containers.
The bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee. No date has been scheduled.
Working its way through the Legislature, the bill has received unanimous support so far.
“Through this bill, we are providing families with the opportunity to keep their furry family close to them in death, just as they were in life,” Ms. Irwin said in the bill analysis.
According to a 2023 survey conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association, approximately 16 million California residents are pet owners.
Other states such as New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Florida have already passed similar bills, allowing for the co-burial of humans and pets. This practice gained attention after a commentary piece published by NPR in 2017 highlighted the concept of “whole-family cemeteries” and the growing recognition of pets as family members.
However, some may view this practice as unconventional and it could raise religious or custom-related concerns. In 2009, a similar bill proposed in Washington state faced opposition from Judy Faaberg of the Washington Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Association.
“Try going back to the families who in good faith bought their graves in the knowledge that it was people-only,” Ms. Faaberg wrote. “Try telling people of various religious faiths who believe various animals are anathem
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