Pets are becoming more important for Dominicans, to the extent that a cemetery near the capital has already designated a special area for pets, Diario Libre reports. The Parque del Prado in Santo Domingo East has already buried 15 pets. The graves are half a square meter in size. The cemetery in the municipality of Guerra, some 24km from Santo Domingo, has set aside 4,000 meters of their 349,000 square meters for their Pet Cemetery.
The president of the Dominican College of Veterinarians (Colvet) Sigfredo Frias said that the interest comes because more and more Dominicans live in apartments where they feel more isolated; they do not have yards or gardens and their pets provide company and happiness. Frias says that 10 years ago there were less than 50 formal veterinary clinics in Santo Domingo and now there are more than 130, and around 200 nationwide. He says they have 978 registered veterinarians.
The cost of burial in the Prado Cemetery is RD$10,500, and cremation costs RD$20,000. Diario Libre says that the leading Dominican funeral home, Blandino is also considering offering pet cremation services.
www.diariolibre.com/sociedad/2013/04/20/i379984_vacunas-cementerio-mascotas-republica-dominicana.html