For pet owners in the northern US and Canada, the loss of pet in the winter time typically leaves few options. Cremation is the most common option but may insist on having a proper burial, either at a Pet Cemetery or at home. The ground can be frozen solid making a burial nearly impossible. Pet Cemeteries often have heavy equipment that can easily prepare a site but for home owners, it's usually not much more that a shovel. But there is another option for a winter burial at home that I heard of last year.

Preparing the burial site can be nearly impossible once the ground has fully frozen. Depending on where you live, the frost line can range from 12" to 42". Where I am in Massachusetts, it's typically 36" but can be even deeper in the north central states. If you are in the southern states, this is rarely an issue and year round burials are not a problem.

You can check with your local building department to get the specific depth but this map should provide a good estimate. Believe it or not, I am often asked how to have a home burial in the dead of winter when frost is an issue. I initially didn't have specific advice to offer and simply suggested either cremation or cold storage until the spring. But several years ago, a customer shared his solution to having a winter home burial. I believe he lives in Ohio so the frost line was quite deep.

Here's the process he used to prepare the ground:

Materials:

Select a strong Pet Casket to protect your pet

4' x 4' (or similar) piece of sheet metal purchased at Home Depot or Lowes

3-4 bags of Barbeque Charcoal Briquettes (and lighter fluid if needed)

Insulated work gloves

And of course, a good shovel

First, clear any snow cover, down to the grass. Next, pile a bag of the charcoal briquettes on the ground and light. Please use extreme caution to make sure the site is not near a house, other structure, trees or brush. There could be 2' of snow on the ground and adjacent brush can still ignite and be a serious problem.

DO NOT attempt this in windy conditions – wait for a calm day to proceed.

Once the coals are lit, and turned grey, spread them out with the shovel and carefully cover them with the sheet metal. This provides a reflective surface to direct the heat downward. Leave this for at least 1 hour. CAREFULLY remove the HOT sheet metal and check on the progress with the shovel. If coals have cooled, remove them and start scraping the ground to remove the grass. You may only be able to remove a few inches at this point. Once this is completed, repeat the coal and sheet metal process. Once you can break through the top 8-10 of frozen soil, digging should become easier. The customer that performed this said it took about 3 hours to break through to the softer soil.

TIP: Soil removed from the site should be put into either a wheel barrow or onto a Tarp. If it's simply thrown into the snow or adjacent ground, it will be difficult to fully fill the plot.

Once through, dig to your regional frost line. This will prevent any heaving of the pet casket once buried. Fill the plot back in with the removed soil and mark the area. One of the short poles used to mark sidewalk curbs in the winter for plow trucks works very well. Once the snow melts in the spring, you will know exactly where the plot is and can replace it with a proper pet marker.

This process is quite labor intensive so please be sure you are healthy enough to attempt this. Ask a family member or friend to help if needed.

Disclaimer: Proceed at your own risk. Pets We Loved accepts no liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.