The Columbarium

This is just the center section of this cabinet.
There are two glass enclosed sections on
either side, plenty of room to grow as needed.

I had Cabell cremated after he was euthanized last week.  That's what we do. We have our own columbarium here, ever growing.  I need to get them all better identified and labeled because my memory isn't what it used to be and there are getting to be quite a few of them.  In fact, I had to email someone for assistance in identifying a dog based on his VGSR tag number when I rearranged everyone this evening.

We pick up nice boxes, pots, and other interesting containers suitable for cremains when we run across them.  We've mostly used the SPCA's cremation service in Charlottesville and I've always been very pleased.  They come back in a nice enough looking container, but it's one I don't mind discarding for something more interesting that we've found.  Bremo was euthanized at the emergency vet at night and I just used their cremation service.  His cremains came back in a nice wooden box with his name engraved on the top. It was big enough to hold his collar as well, so we stuck with that.   When Cabell was euthanized last week I left him there and used the vet's cremation service, which was the same one that had done Bremo so they have matching boxes.  Molly and Emmylou also have matching boxes but all the others are pretty unique, particularly the pottery jars.

The first entry in this columbarium was actually my first partner, Bert. I started stacking up the dogs's containers around his until it overwhelmed the space, so this evening I moved them into a nice glass front china cabinet, but left Bert's with the dogs and cat that we had when we were together.

Bert (center) with Sasha (left), our cat Shooz, and Vito (right)

Everyone is different in dealing with death and funerary practices, both human and canine.  For me, it's all pretty much the same.  I've been through this many times.  It doesn't get easier, but I'm not morose about it.   Losing a loved one is the price of having a loved one.  I'm happy for those who lived to a ripe old age, and for those that didn't, I'm still happy for the time we had together, all the more precious because it was so brief.  Someday I guess I'll need to do something with all of them.   I'm thinking they could all be buried along with my own when the time comes.   For now, I like to see them, remember them, and keep them with me.