By Victor Rosales

One of the hardest things a pet owner will have to deal with is its short lifespan. According to petmd.com, some breeds like bulldogs have a very short lifespan of 6 years, while the longest lifespans are some terriers at 14 years. That’s not a very long time considering dogs and cats are more than just pets, but members of the family. In the case of Regina Ramirez, 54, of Pico Rivera, CA her beloved black lab Ace, lived 9 years before succumbing to cancer last year in 2015. Ramirez shared a few pictures of Ace’s last days before having to make the hard decisions of putting him down.

Putting down your pet is known to make even the toughest men cry. Many non pet owners were recently brought to tears after reading this recent snapchat story experience that spread over the web. As if the heartbreak isn’t enough, those losing a pet need to prepare for the financial hurt as well. In the case of Ramirez, after spending a few hundred dollars to put her dog down, then came the decision of what to do next with Ace. “I wasn’t going to bury him in my backyard” said Ramirez, who after looking at many choices decided to cremate.  When it was all said and done Ramirez spent close to a thousand dollars which may come to a surprise to many people with sick pets.

Many companies are willing to capitalize and offer many services with different price ranges. Typically the larger and heavier your pet is, the more you can expect to pay. At a higher cost, Ramirez could of opted for an actual cemetery with headstone and coffin as those offered by LA Pet Cemetery or  Gateway Pet Cemetery & Crematory. On the very high end of pet loss there is pet taxidermy, which was showcased in the Animal Planet series American Stuffers.

According to the ASPCA, pet ownership keeps rising and reports approximately 37-47% of all households in the United States have a dog, and 30-37% have a cat. With numbers like these, pet loss profits will continue to grow. As for Ramirez, when asked if she will get another dog she says, “Absolutely! dogs don’t judge, they accept you wholeheartedly, faults and all.” Although she is still looking, she hopes to have a new dog by early next year.