From the email inbox: dog flags and do-it-yourself funerals
February 15th, 2012 by Chris HenryEvery day hundreds of emails pour into our general email inbox. Some are clearly sketchy … “dear sir or madame – I offering splendid item, to receive your reward, link to me …” I think not.
We hear of many unusual products and services. Today for example, we got emails touting “dog flags” and do-it-yourself funerals.
Sacred Crossings of Los Angeles (wouldn’t expect them to locate in Omaha) offers to guide families interested in bypassing the funeral home.
“Sacred Crossings educates families in the ancient ritual of after death care — bathing, anointing and dressing the body; creating sacred space in the home for viewing; delivery of a simple pine box or cardboard cremation casket, which can be decorated by family members,” a press release says.
The owner, Olivia Bareham, is an ordained minister and a member of the National Home Funeral Alliance, an organization dedicated to educating people about the “intrinsic value” of in-home funerals. Bareham offers help “completing the legal paperwork and making arrangements with the cemetery or crematory for final disposition. Spiritual ministerial services include near-death prayer/meditation vigils, grief support and funeral celebrant services.”
An interesting concept. If anyone in Kitsap County has done this or considered it, run, don’t walk to your computer and contact me at chenry@kitsapsun.com.
The second email of interest, touted the benefits of Dog Flags, colored flags that “slide easily over your pets leash.” Each color has phrase that signifies the temperament of the animal. Red, Ask Before Approaching; Green, Friendly; Yellow; I’m Shy; Blue, In Training; Orange, Special Needs.
“With over 80 million owned dogs as pets in the United States alone, being able to know at a glance which canines you can approach and which ones you should leave alone goes a long way to avoiding unwanted incidents,” a press release for the product says.
“Another advantage to Dog Flags is to help remove the stigma from certain dogs,” the advertisement goes on. “’Passing a pit bull or Rottweiler and seeing a Green ‘Friendly’ flag is going to help make people a lot more comfortable,’, says Kristin Valgardson, owner of Dog Flags LLC.”
This email raises several questions.
Do people really stigmatize dogs based on their breed?
Do these flags cover pretty much all temperaments or is there
something missing? At the risk of offending readers, I won’t go
into detail, I can think of one behavior — starts with “h” — that
should definitely be red-flagged.
And is it really fair to try to describe your beloved pet with a
single generic phrase, lumping it in with all other “friendly” or
“shy” individuals?
How would you describe your four-legged friend in a short, easy to
understand phrase?
Is this a good idea? If so, why did nobody think of it before?
Tags: advertising, dogs, email, funerals
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
February 15th, 2012 at 6:43 pm
I think the red and green dog flags are a great idea! The super friendly, well socialized dogs of any breed could wear the green flags
signifying the dogs and dog walker are willing for the dog to be approached and petted by strangers.
That said, the green flag is no guarantee of safety against the dog biting if its had enough of general petting and mauling by strangers.
I would advise against anyone going up to strange dogs and petting them without asking the owner for permission…including the wonderful therapy dogs and their volunteer owners.
Trail horses are frequently banded by a “kicker” ribbon tied around their tail. Most riders respect the warning and don’t crowd them.
February 15th, 2012 at 6:59 pm
“An interesting concept. If anyone in Kitsap County has done this or considered it, run, don’t walk to your computer and contact me at chenry@kitsapsun.com”
Yes, I’ll opt for a pine box or whatever wood disintegrates fastest and a graveside brief funeral ceremony. I’ll be wrapped in the reddest, cheapest natural fabric available at that time.
I’ve planned that for myself for several decades and the money saved from the expensive funeral and other stuff will be donated to health care issues and COPD research.
(My children are non-dependent adults)