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Badalona allows pets to attend funerals to say goodbye to their owners
Badalona has taken an unprecedented step in the funeral sector: for several weeks, its funeral homes have allowed pets into the wake room to say goodbye to the person they lived with. The measure, a first in Catalonia, has already been used by eleven families whose dogs and cats were able to bid farewell to their ‘companion on the journey’.
The team at Pompas Fúnebres de Badalona explains that animals’ behaviour at these times is surprisingly clear. All of them explore the space, sniff the deceased and some even come close enough to lick their hand. According to staff, there comes a moment when the animal itself “decides” that its farewell is over. For many owners, witnessing that reaction helps them process the loss more calmly.
To launch the service, the funeral homes have obtained pet-friendly certification, adapted rooms and introduced a specific protocol: only pets identified with a microchip and with an up-to-date vaccination record may enter. Water areas and rules have also been put in place to ensure coexistence with families who prefer not to share space with animals.
The response, according to the management company, has been “huge”. The service, which until now had been offered exceptionally, has become a growing demand. The funeral company is already working on a parallel project: an independent funeral home for pets, planned for the end of 2026, which will complement this new, more human — and also more realistic — approach to how families cope with grief… including four-legged ones.