Dog owner holds 8,000-yuan funeral for departed pet

By CFP-Globaltimes.cn, Published: 2015-09-16 15:59:30

The departed dog lies in a casket draped in a yellow scarf that reads the Buddhist blessing “Amitabha” during the funeral ceremony in Shanghai on August 29. Photos: CFP

[GalleryHights]

Funeral home employees stand with flowers during the ceremony on August 29. The dog’s owner, surnamed Wang, arranged for her pet’s funeral through a vendor on e-commerce site Taobao. The all-inclusive pet funeral service includes a casket, ceremony and cremation for 8,000 yuan ($1,256).

The owner and her daughter weep at the casket of their pet dog at its funeral on August 29.

Zhou Jinxia, owner of the Taobao funeral parlor, comforts the dog’s owner and her daughter after the ceremony. Zhou said that funerary services for pets is becoming increasingly popular and counts celebrity clientele, such as writer, race car driver and corporate shill Han Han.

Four pall bearers carry the coffin to a sedan adorned with the dog’s photo. The mini hearse traveled along the route where the dog would often be taken for walks.

The owner touches the dog with deep sorrows before its cremation on August 29, 2015.

The owner holds an urn containing her dog’s ashes on August 29, 2015.

The pet owner and her family kowtow in front of the dog’s portrait during a Buddhist funerary ceremony at a temple in Shanghai. According to Buddhist belief, the rite is held to atone for the sins of the dead.