The pet cremation experience of one Shanghaiist reader

Shanghaiist reader Jeff sent us this email sharing with us the horrendous experience he and his wife were put through recently when they tried to give their beloved rabbit a proper cremation:

Just wanted to share an experience: My wife's rabbit died a few days ago. Even if he used to pee and poop everywhere and the odor can be quite strong, she still loved him deeply. Unfortunately, he got an eye disease and never recovered.

Now came the problem of disposing of the body. My wife called 114, info service. They said that there is only one place in Shanghai that can do this (I was quite amazed by this). She called to get more info. They told her it was 500 RMB for a group cremation, 1500 for individual. She decided on individual, so be it.

We make the call, they come and pick us up and drive us to Pudong, close to the airport. For some reason, I was expecting a nice place, and people there would behave with class. I realize it's just a pet, but it easy to get attached to them, isn't it?

So we get to the place, and we get off in this little field where two guys have a big stove with an electric fan. When it was time to cremate the animal, they all but grabbed it from her arms and swung it in the stove. I was shocked. Here he are, in the middle of nowhere, outside, in the rain, next to a stove that has our rabbit inside.

As time passed, my wife stopped crying and realized that we were being conned. 1500 RMB for this? A stove in a field?

So she started to ague with the guys. They called their boss and the traditional "mei ban fa" was said many times. At one point, they threated to take the rabbit out of the stove and toss it back to us.

So, my wife and I gave up the fight and we let them finished the job. At the end, to get the ashed back, the tossed the still hot coal on a slab of concrete, and starting to pick out the remains of the rabbit with chopsticks. Chopsticks. They then transferred it to a half-ass urn and send us on our way.

In 3 years here, it was the most awful experience I ever lived. They just didn't care that someone could be sad for a pet. They took advantage of us, and who know how many others. Surely, there is a better way to solve the problem of a dead pet?

Now, just where does one go to give his/her pet a proper cremation or burial here in Shanghai? Does anyone out there know?