New regulations adopted in New York state are set to allow pet owners to be buried with their pets.

Late New Yorker Joey Ramone would not have approved.

Nevertheless, the regulations are set to take effect next month. What do they allow, and what made New York legislators consider allowing human remains in pet cemeteries in the first place?

Under the new regulations, cremated human remains will be allowed to be interred alongside the remains of pets in licensed New York pet cemeteries, reports the New York Daily News.

However, pet cemeteries will not be allowed to advertise the availability of the human burial service, nor can they charge for burying human remains – though legislation is also pending that would remove this last restriction.

Thomas Ryan and DJs 1 Through 3

The new rules stem from a protracted dispute between the family of former NYPD Officer Thomas Ryan and state authorities. Ryan requested to be buried alongside his three Maltese dogs – DJ 1, DJ 2, and DJ 3 – at Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, purported to be the oldest pet cemetery in the United States.

Ryan’s wife was already buried there, but state officials initially refused Ryan’s request to be buried there as well. State officials eventually relented, allowing the practice of human burials at Hartsdale – of which there had already been about 700 – to continue.

By popular request, state legislators decided to expand the exception to include all New York pet cemeteries. The change officially takes effect in August.

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Related Resources:

  • Pet Owners, Deceased Pets Can Now Be Buried Together (New York’s WNYW-TV)
  • NY Women Sue Cemetery: Mom Buried in Wrong Grave (FindLaw’s Injured)
  • Man Fights to Keep Wife Buried in Front Yard (FindLaw’s Law and Daily Life)
  • Ala. Man Can’t Bury Wife in Front Yard, Courts Rule (FindLaw’s Legally Weird)

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