Funerals for pets becoming more popular as it's often hard to say goodbye

The death of a pet can often be harder on its owner than even the death of a relative. So Reiki for pets, home euthanasia services and even cat wakes have become popular, writes Caomhan Keane

IRELAND has certainly moved on from Seamus Heaney’s The Early Purges, where ‘scraggy wee shits’ met their end in a metal bucket. Now pets, be they city or country, can meet their maker with a dignity unheard of, even when I was a lad.

“The whole area of pain management has improved,” says Dr Elizabeth McCollum-Ryan, who set up and runs Bowwout, a home euthanasia service that allows your pet to die in the privacy of your home.