February 27, 2008
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?
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The never-pay-for-any-service-up-front lesson is only learned one way: the hard way. I've heard cremating a human family member here is not much different.
"I've heard cremating a human family member here is not much different."
Yikes.
"I've heard cremating a human family member here is not much different."
Bigger chopsticks presumably.
"I've heard cremating a human family member here is not much different."
Bigger chopsticks presumably.
Bigger urn as well I am guessing.
This must be a hoax.
Cremating a human body takes a lot longer and you have to chop it up in pieces 1st. $1500 a piece. Same urn and chopsticks.
Serves them right for being stupid.
First, it's a RABBIT ffs. Second, just bury the fucking thing. Third, what did they expect in China?
Unfortunately, they probably live in an apartment complex, which makes burial a bit of a problem. I probably would have just found a dumpster. I know it is a harsh way to dispose of a beloved pet, and it is probably illegal in the US and Europe, but this is China. I have learned not to look for all of those "services that should exist in a service economy".
The best way would probably be to get a friend's referral for a veterinarian, then ask them IN PERSON (so they can't give you a song and dance on the phone) where to dispose of the body. All vets SHOULD be able to tell you something since they presumably have to put pets to sleep from time to time.
FYI, a quick look at responses to questions on the Internet is yielding answers of around US$150 (about RMB1060) for a small dog. That is in the US in sanitary conditions. Those rabbit people definitely got conned. They should have had a Chinese person call for them. The 114 people probably gave them the right number, but the laoban prolly found out they were foreign and wanted to profit.