A place to bury your pet in Costa Rica

February 13^th, 2013 (InsideCostaRica.com) An animal loving couple decided to give Costa Rican residents a dignified farewell to those who faithfully accompanied us during our lives.

 

Sandi Alvaro, owner of Camposanto de Mascotas (Pet Cemetery), said that after speaking with a veterinarian about their problem of not knowing what to do with the bodies of dead animals, and after experiencing the pain firsthand of losing her dog after it was hit by a car, decided to make a place where owners could bury and visit their former pets.

 
“After talking to some vet friends, and they started calling me for help, that is when I decided to expand the spae.  That why I bought a plot of land in Coris de Cartago, which has a view of the mountains,” Alvaro said.

 

The cemetery offers parking, and both communal and private gravesites.  The cemetery also has a staff member who picks up deceased pets from vets anywhere in the metro area.

 

“People come and put pictures and flowers,” Alvaro said.

 

In addition to private gravesites, the cemetery offers communal graves where all the pets picked up that day are buried together.  “[owners] pay a token fee of 15,000 colones and we’ll bury their pet in these communal graves with the pets we collect that day,” Alvaro said.

 

Prices for private graves range from 35,000 to 45,000 for the first year, depending on the size of the pet.  After the first year, owners can decide if they would like to continue paying a fee for maintenance of the site.

 

Alvaro also wants to offer a cremation service in the future.

 

“Families can come anytime and visit their pets.  For people who love an animal, their death is a tragedy.  Some even prepare a funeral with two or three cars in the caravan,” Alvaro added.

 

The cemetery is located in Coris de Cartago, 800 meters east of the Linda Vista school.

 

To obtain service, you may call 8505-5370, Monday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday with prior coordination.

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