Day 1058 - Taxidermy?

Would you ever stuff your pet?

Maxwell Teepee the first (c) Deep Fried  Fruit

After waking up to the not-so-sweet sound of a vomiting dog this morning I am starting to worry that we may be in our last year of having Max-the-now-blind-hip-gyrating-Lab in our lives.  I don't want to sound alarmist but this dog who used to eat dog poo, chicken poo, cow poo, horse poo, girls underpants, Brussels sprouts, seaweed, rotting rabbit carcasses and basically anything except lettuce, now has an extremely sensitive stomach.  Yet another sign of his aging. To keep his teeth healthy I gave him a couple of raw chicken wings over the weekend.  He's been a farting, pooing, vomiting mess ever since.  So the fact that he's blind, got tummy issues, has arthritis and is twelve years old is making me think about dooms day. How do we honor him once he's gone?

My usual method of operation is to dig a bloody great big hole and bury my pets.  It seems a nice way to know they are always in our general vicinity.  Plus you can whack a cross in the ground and carve their name into it.  But then I wonder if Max may not prefer being dusted all over his favourite places - the beach, the farm, the park and the backyard.  So perhaps a cremation might be in order.  But then I recalled an acquaintance who had her dog stuffed when it died and it now sits in the entry way to greet visitors as they arrive.  Is this the way we should be honoring our canine friends?

So it got me thinking, would you stuff your dog?  

According to Professor Googs, Taxidermy is the art of preparing, stuffing and mounting the skins of animals for display.  You'll often see hunters do it to display their ... um ... trophies (eek), but you'll also see besotted pet owners do it to keep their beloved pets close to them long after they're gone.  Is this something we should do for Max Factor?  Should we stuff our big blonde Labrador and keep him curled up on his mat in the lounge room just as he's always been?

Personally I think it's a bit odd.  I mean, I love my Nanna too but I'm not going to have her stuffed and stick her in an arm chair so she can be near me forever.  Is it something to consider when it comes to our pets?

Of course, all this is a bit premature given my gorgeous blonde friend is sitting right next to me (with vomit breath) wagging his tail.  But there will come a day when he is not.