Owners find final spot for loved pets
By A'an Suryana
JAKARTA (JP): Suwita, 55, could not stop crying as the body of her dog Boy was laid down in his resting place.
"Mas Boy's death still haunts me today. I feel something has gone from my life," Suwita told The Jakarta Post on Sunday, recalling the sad story that took place about one month ago.
Mas Boy, a mixed breed, lived with Suwita for 10 years at her house in the flush area of Menteng in Central Jakarta, along with five other dogs.
She said Mas Boy had a special job: Every day he brought her the newspapers.
Suwita said the dog waited on the terrace every afternoon for the return of Suwita's husband, the owner of a printing company.
Upon his arrival, Suwita's husband would hand several newspapers to the dog, with the command: "Give them to mommy!"
Mas Boy would grab the newspapers and track down "mommy".
The sudden death of her dear pet was a great pain for Suwita, and to honor the dog, she decided to bury Mas Boy in one of Jakarta's two pet cemeteries. Run by privately owned Pondok Pengayom Satwa (Animal Lovers House) foundation, the cemetery is on Jl. Harsono RM, near Ragunan Zoo, in South Jakarta.
The 200-square-meter graveyard has 300 graves for all types of pets, including dogs, cats, rabbits and monkeys. Six veterinarians and 21 other employees work at the cemetery, known as PPS.
According to IGA Alit Widari, one of the veterinarians, 200 graves are already occupied.
"We so far have no plans to develop a new site for the graves," she told the Post.
Retno Purwanti, an administration employee, said the burial cost was between Rp 80,000 (US$12) and Rp 100,000, depending on the size of the animal.
"The price for international breeds, such as Doberman and German shepherd dogs, is between Rp 90,000 and Rp 100,000 each. But for smaller dogs and cats, it costs Rp 80,000," she said.
Annual fee
Pet owners are also required to pay an annual fee of Rp 15,000 per animal. Otherwise, explained Retno, the pet corpses are removed and the graves dug up to allow space for new bodies.
PPS also has a crematorium, which costs Rp 40,000 for small animals and Rp 80,000 for larger dogs.
Animals are cremated at the rear of the PPS main building, in a one-meter by one-meter brick kerosene-fired hearth,.
Tukidjo, 35, an employee there, said the cremating process usually takes one hour for small pets and three hours for the bigger ones.
"Usually, the ashes are put into a pot and brought back home by the owner," he said.
The other cemetery for pets in the capital is managed by the Jakarta Animal General Hospital, which is on the same street as PPS.
Due to the limited space, the Taman Pusara Satwa (Animal Burial Park) at the Jakarta Animal General Hospital, is only for the burial of the hospital's patients and former patients.
"Pet owners that want the grave of their animal to have a headstone should pay Rp 120,000 per year, regardless of the size of the animal," said Dewi, an administration employee at the hospital.
If owners fail to meet this obligation, the graves of their pets are demolished.
Regular graves start at Rp 45,000 each, and no annual fee is required for these graves, she said, but owners should be prepared for the day they can no longer visit the grave of their beloved pet as the space has been taken by a new corpse.
Some people see the close relationship between pets and their owners as rather strange.
Alit Widari, a PPS veterinarian, said she once saw dog a that was suffering from stress after his owner went abroad.
"He did not want to eat, although we repeatedly tried to encourage him to eat. Finally we gave him intravenous feeding. But he died several days later," she said.
Devoted
Other pet owners treat their deceased animals as if they were human beings.
Tukidjo, who has been working with PPS for seven years, said he has many times found pet lovers to have placed such things as money, meal bowls and beds near the graves.
"The owners said those things would be a kind of supply for the animals in the 'hereafter'," he said.
The pets at PPS can be buried in three ways: unadorned, covered with white cloth, or a in coffin.
Tukidjo said many owners cry when seeing the bodies of their animals about to be buried. He said some of them have given a farewell kiss to the animals.
"Sometimes I have seen people praying at the graves using incense sticks during their visits here," he said.
Ngadiman, 25, an animal handler at the hospital who often assists in the burial process, said foreigners showed more care for their pets than local owners.
"They put flowers or spray perfume on the graves of their animals during their visits. They're also not reluctant to give us tips during the burial process," said Ngadiman.