Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

A Swiss regional council is looking into the possibility of allowing owners to be buried with their pets.

The authorities in the Swiss canton of Bern proposed allowing owners to be buried with their pets on Thursday (23 March) evening.

The proposal came from the centrist green party Green Liberal Party of Switzerland (GLP) who pointed out that pets are often people’s last companion.

Despite the council’s silence over the proposal, the authorities later stated in a report that they are ready to examine alternative types of burials under the premise that any changes would not affect those already resting in peace.

Officials added that any major changes to the law could take up to three years to implement due to their complexity.

Joint human-animal burials are permitted under the law, however implementing them at a local level requires changes to local regulations.

According to local media, if implemented, official human-animal burial practices could lead to sweeping changes in Swiss funeral customs.

The city of Zurich already allows animal ashes in urns to be buried in graves alongside their owners, but not their bodies, however, the pet’s name may not appear on the grave inscription.

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