Bremen allows people and pets to be buried together!

Bremen allows people and pets to be buried together!

A significant change in the law has come into force in Bremen, allowing the deceased and their pets to be buried together in the city's cemeteries. This was made possible by the Bremen citizens' yes to a suitable bill, which has been in force since Saturday. This makes Bremen a pioneer in Germany for this form of human-animal burial, while in many other federal states this practice is only possible to a limited extent or not at all. The only exception is Hamburg, where a legal regulation has been in place since March 2020. Here, however, deceased pets must first be cremated before their ashes can be buried in the coffin or urn, as the FAZ reports.

The new law offers cemetery operators the opportunity to create special areas for burial plots where the ashes of a pet can be interred at the request of the deceased person. This means that in future people will be allowed to be buried in a common grave with an urn containing the ashes of their pet. Until now, such a regulation was not provided for in Bremen's funeral law, which makes this innovation particularly exciting. Currently only a few cemeteries in Bremen offer the option of joint burial. In Lower Saxony, this option is occasionally available in the Stade district and in the Ruhewald Nottensdorf, as NDR reports.

An intimate connection

The connection between people and their pets is often very strong and familial. For many people, pets are their only companions in the final stages of life. The idea of ​​being buried together is not only a personal wish, but also reflects the importance that animals have in people's lives. The German Cemetery Society emphasizes that human-animal burial represents a further development of individualization in burial culture and allows the intimate relationship between humans and animals to be honored even after death.

In recent years there has also been an increase in pet cemeteries set up specifically for the burial of pets. The wish to be buried in the same grave as a beloved pet should ideally be recorded in a burial directive to avoid later difficulties.

Practical considerations for burial

When planning a human-animal funeral, there are some important points to consider, such as regulating costs and funeral arrangements. Relatives should also think about what will happen to the animal urn if the person survives and what happens if the animal outlives the owner. Many households already have animal urns and it is crucial to make it clear during your lifetime how you want the burial to be and, if necessary, to document this.

Human-animal burial not only offers a new perspective on people's final wishes, but also a way to continue to honor the relationship with their pets. At a time when the individualization of funerals is the trend, Bremen is now one step closer to a holistic and personally customizable funeral culture.