Mourners gather to remember pets who have died

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Van Tassel Funeral Home in Bloomfield held its fifth observance of Pet Memorial Day on Saturday, Sept. 7. About 15 people came to listen or speak about their pets, and those who had attended the memorial in the past agreed this year’s observance was very good, although it was hard to say exactly why.

Keynote speaker Vicky Valvano spoke about her two dogs, Pugsley and Petey, 19 and 17 years old, respectively. Valvano has attended four Pet Memorial Days at the funeral home and she spoke from the heart to an understanding audience.
As part of the event, people wrote the names of departed pets on rocks that were later placed near a white birch before a ceremony and prayer.

“Every year, I think it’s going to be Pugsley or Petey’s rock,” Valvano said. “Loss is tough. It may get easier, but sometimes you see something and it comes back to you in a rush.”

People spoke with difficulty about their deceased pets, but that is what the memorial is about — sharing grief and support. One woman talked about obtaining a dog she named Leo right after her dog Charley died.
She admitted to spoiling Leo.

“It’s a different love,” she said. “It’s like a midlife crisis and you have a child. He gets away with murder.”
A young boy could not speak about the loss of Bunny, the family cat, so his father spoke. Bunny was a feral kitten found in Los Angeles 13 years ago and brought east, he said.

Another woman had difficulty while speaking about an adopted dog two years to the day of the memorial service. He was an older dog when she adopted him, and she had him for 13 months. Attendees agreed that animals give considerable love to their rescuers.

A woman talked about her collie, Danny, that she brought up from North Carolina.
“He was my whole life,” she said. “He was 5 when I adopted him and 12 when I put him down. He had a scared look in his eyes. I’ll never forget that.”

Another man talked about his cat Shakespeare, who was a very regal cat, he said. When the cat died he buried it in his backyard.
The next day, he went into the backyard to visit the grave and, out of the corner of his eye, saw another familiar cat resting on his car.

He never made it to the grave, but instead took in the new cat.

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