Keeping Man's Best Friend

For centuries cultures have been mummifying the members of their families in order to preserve their memory. Not only have they been preserving human family members but animal family members as well.  Egyptians believed that their animals were not only pets for enjoyment but they were also earth bound Gods.  These animal mummies were treated in the exact same fashion and care as human bodies.  This included the same embalming products wrapping and ceremonies.  Egyptians mummified many types of animals from bulls, to monkeys, cats and dogs, monkeys, gazelles, lizard, fish, and finally beetles. Though many other cultures used animals in ritualized sacrifice, no other culture has been found to have mummified their pets.   Eventually even mummifying humans slowly faded away as cultures became more industrialized. 

However, a new form of keeping family members spirits close has begun with man's best friend, pets.  In today's American culture, much the same as Egyptian culture, pets are now as much part of the family as any blood relative.  Pets are thought to have their own personalities, ideas, dress in designer clothing, eat organically, and now they can live with their family until the end of time.  It's technically not mummification, but pet owners are having their closest pets stuffed and repositioned after death so that the family can still venerate their pet.

"On our way back from the museum visit, the stuffed dog was brought up again as a topic
of discussion among the students and some of them identified themselves with the dead
animal’s caretaker. One student said, “Imagine if it was your dog” and “Imagine if it was
your rabbit.” Another student reflected over what it would feel like to have had the
company of your dog when it was still alive, and then come to the museum and see it
stuffed. Desmond (2002) refers to pets as a special case in taxidermy. Pets have a special
position in human society since they are often regarded as “family members” and
therefore the pet’s body, to a larger extent than most other animals used in taxidermy,
represents the pet’s being. Bryant and Shoemaker (1988) refer to pet taxidermy as a form
of “nostalgia taxidermy” that for some may be a way of dealing with emotional loss,
whereas others may view it as a morbid practice. "

As humans the fear and uncertainty of an afterlife causes us to try to keep our family members, including pets along with us in order to remember them and to keep them safe.  Animals as much as any other family member bring security and love and devotion into any family, therefore it is just as important to protect their memory and spirit as any other family member. However, even though we harbor these feelings how is this practice any different than mummifying a human body which has been banned in most cultures.  It is understandable that people love to keep their animals with them or as trophies, but what happens when this practice is taken too far.

Sources:

Owen, James. Egyptian Animals Were Mummified Same Way as Humans. National Geographic News. England. September 15, 2004. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/09/0915_040915_petmummies.html


Thomas, Adrienne Elizabeth. PET LOSS: A STUDY OF GRIEF AND BEREAVEMENT. Christchurch. 1997

Google images

Pedersen, Helena. Animals on Display: The Zoocurriculum of Museum Exhibits. 2010. Critical Education. vol. 1, 17 p. Institute for Critical Educational Studies. http://dspace.mah.se:8080/dspace/handle/2043/10948