MMD: Should I let them bury the dog?

Errata

tbs624 wrote: »

Don't take it too seriously guys. Check out the original thread on the HBRS board and you'll see that the OP has a definite skill: he has made many people smile.

It's likely that few of us will see peg bags, Bags for Life, pond liners, koi carp or Great Danes, or indeed in-advance-of-completion requests from house buyers, in quite the same way again.:D

Quisling :rotfl:

flipa

I think it's a little unfair for them to put this pressure on you before the sale is finalised.
If you mention that you wouldn't mind having the ashes scattered in the garden at least you are making a compromise. Be honest and realistic and say you'd rather not dig up the garden until they own the house.

I'm not sure what area you are in but there is a pet cremation service called Charlie's Parlour in Wiltshire who put the ashes in a casket, so the owner could hold onto them until the sale is complete!

jamespir

my folks buried many a pet in our garden when i was younger id say let them do it

Littlemissteapot

MattLG wrote: »

Definitely yes.

Once it's buried, they can't back out.

MattLG

Oh yes they can.

You can pull out anytime before completion/exchange. They could request their pet to be dug up and returned to them, the rightful owners -which can be proved by a micro-chip that I have no doubt that the dog will have.

golddustmedia

DEFINITELY YES!!!

If you're selling the house you want the best chance of a complete sale.

If the potential buyers bury their dog there, they're going to feel pretty committed to completing the sale!

Sounds like a cheap (free) completion incentive to me! At least then you'll know they're going to be very reluctant to pull out of the purchase!

clarkent

Let them bury the dog but make them pay £200 up front refundable when the contracts are exchanged

AndyRen_2

florabell wrote: »

Bit off-putting for any other prospective buyers, I would have thought, having a newly decomposing dog in your garden ......

I don't see why - once it's buried no one should notice. It's just a psychological hang-up.

RuthnJasper

When my last dog passed away, for a little bit extra on the vets' bill, she was cremated individually and I received her ashes back in a decorative wooden box. I'd recommend this to the dog's owners. The hound in question is a Great Dane, which is a massive breed, so it's not as though it's a goldfish or a hamster!

It depends on the size of the garden - if it is a HUGE bit of land, burying the dog in an isolated spot wouldn't be too much of a problem (Royal dogs have been buried in Buckingham Palace gardens since Queen Victoria's time). If it is an average-sized gardens, it wouldn't be a good idea for a dog of this breed. It could pose a health-hazard as it decomposes and there is always the danger of a fox digging it up and trailing it around the garden (sorry to be gross).

Good luck! x

kippygolf

You can't let them do this, it is just too complicated if the house sale falls through.
Their vet might be able to keep the dog in cold/frozen storage until they move in?

COOKIES

Its a toughie isnt it. Its obviously very personal to the people looking to buy the house, but the dog was their pet and nothing to do with the business of a house sale.

You could always just be sensitive about it but be honest and say, I appreciate you want your dog to come with you in your new home and obviously we would like to go through with the sale of a house and once contracts are exchanged we would be happy for you to put your dog to rest in the garden, but if something goes wrong with the sale then I have to think about the potential damage to my garden and the cost to put that right and also the emotional effect on yourselves of having to remove your dog from my garden so in all honesty I'd be happier if you could try and arrange some alternative option such as storage until after the sale is completed. seems fair!