By Will Armstrong
 

Here’s the unfortunate truth about adopting a pet: at some point, after twelve-or-so years of love and care, the playing in the park, watching television, late-night cuddling, and adorable staring contests all come to an end. You have to bid one last farewell to your dear friend.

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But what happens after death? All dogs may go to heaven, but how do we, who are left behind, deal with our grief?

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Sure, you can have your pet cremated, so that it lives on inside your house. Or, you can bury your pet under a pet-tombstone so you can return to grieve whenever you’re reminded of your loss. But a select group of taxidermists may have found an alternative that allows the memory of your pet to survive in a more tangible way.

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Freeze-dried pets—pets posed in a way that best reminds the owner of their old friend—are the cutting edge of pet preservation, allowing your actual pet to live on in a way that’s quintessentially them.

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Freeze-drying is superior to conventional taxidermy because it actually preserves the animal itself, rather than skinning it, and shaping the skin over a generic mould. This means that your pet is preserved right down to the shape of its belly. It’s the pet’s muscles, the pet’s teeth, the pet’s claws. As much as possible is kept original, so that the pet is still entirely recognisable.

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“I actually had a lady send me a picture,” says Mike McCullough, a world-leader in pet preservation. He'd preserved this lady’s grandfather's dog, and now her grandfather had passed away. “There's this picture of this grandfather and this dog actually in the same casket.”(1)

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Actually, this kind of occurrence—thank you letters and/or photos—are common responses to freeze-drying pets. It’s no wonder: the health benefits of a strong attachment to pets are backed by research.

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Dr Allen McConnell, psychologist at the Miami University in Ohio explains: “One thing that our research has shown is that when people feel closer to their pets, they derive stronger benefits in terms of mental or physical health.”(1)

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According to his research, it doesn’t matter the type of pet—only the level of attachment to that pet. In fact, his research found thinking of your pet can soothe thoughts of loneliness just as well as thinking of your best friend.

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And yes, while a  freeze-dried pet may not be for everyone, for those with strong attachments to their beloved pet, it is a great way to continue their memory.

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1) This article is a summary of an insightful article from LiveScience.com, and the quotes are taken directly from there. Check it out for more information about the link between pets and mental and physical health.