Woman who wanted to hold on to beloved pet's ashes distraught after her dog is cremated communally
WALTON, ENGLAND: The death of a beloved pet is never easy. Catherine Mitchell was understandably distraught when her Yorkshire terrier Poppy, who she had for 15 years, died. Still, the mother of two thought she would have her pet cremated and save the ashes of her "best friend."
However, adding to her agony, the hospital where she made arrangements to have Poppy individually cremated, ended up mislabelling the dog's body and informed Mitchell that Poppy's remains had been "lost." Already mourning after the death of her companion of 15 years, Mitchell reveals that her heart "shattered" upon learning that her dog's ashes had been "scattered like fertiliser," reports the Mirror.
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Having made specific arrangements with PDSA Huyton, an animal end-of-life charity, Michell wanted to have Poppy individually cremated and keep her ashes. However, a staff member mistakenly mislabeled her dog's body that led to her beloved pet's remains being burnt communally with other animal remains. According to the Liverpool Echo, the pet hospital in Huyton discovered the goof-up only after the cremation was over. Poppy's ashes had been scattered together with the rest of the animals' ashes over a memorial garden.
Speaking to the outlet, Mitchell expressed her suffering through the ordeal, "I stayed with Poppy as she died. She'd been with me 15 years. After she died I made arrangements with the staff for her to be individually cremated. Then later they rang me and told me they can't find my dog's body." The 31-year-old then went around questioning the hospital authorities. "I was questioning them like what do you mean you don't know where Poppy is? All day Tuesday I was going to the PDSA. It was like I was chasing after her even though she was dead," said the resident of Walton.
Eventually, she learned the truth. "They soon told me Poppy's body had been labeled to be part of a communal cremation, not individual like I'd asked. A member of staff had mislabelled her for communal cremation. They'd scattered her ashes like fertilizer," said the distraught woman, adding, "I was just completely broken. My heart was shattered when I heard. I'd thought the PDSA was top-notch. Poppy was 15 years of my life, she was my whole world. She went with me through everything and everyone knew who she was through me."
Mitchell's tribute to her furry friend was similarly heart-breaking. She spoke of the "nearly 15 years of happy memories" they shared adding that she would never forget her "little best friend." The 31-year-old hoped she "did a good job being your mummy" and added that Poppy's death came as a shock to her, something she did not see coming.
Following the fiasco, a spokesperson for the PDSA has said, "We're very sorry to hear about the loss of Ms Mitchell's beloved dog and would like to send our sincere condolences, both to her and her family at this difficult time. Due to client confidentiality rules, we are unable to comment on individual cases. We can, however, confirm that an issue has been raised regarding our Huyton Pet Hospital and that we are in contact with the owner regarding the situation."
"We aim to provide a professional and caring service at all times and take complaints very seriously. Along with our out-of-hours provider, we will fully explore Ms Mitchell's concerns to establish what has happened, and will be in contact with her directly when a thorough investigation has taken place," continued the official spokesperson.