Is it illegal to bury your dog in your backyard?

It's something nobody wants to think about but, inevitably, the time will come for your pet to move on. It's never easy. What might be a hard conversation to have later is what to do with your former pet. Do you take it to a pet cemetery? Can you get them cremated? What's often the free route is to basically have your own burial in your own backyard... but is that even legal?

Washington State Law states:

A carcass must be buried to a depth so that no part of the carcass is nearer than three feet to the natural surface of the ground. Every part of the carcass must be covered with at least three feet of soil within twenty-four hours of placement in the ground.

The law goes onto say it also can't be near a well, spring or body of surface water like lake or stream, at least three hundred feet away. Also has to be buried more than three hundred feet away from someone else's property.

Get the official rules from the wa.gov site just to be sure but follow the guidelines and looks like you'll be fine to have your own memorial in your own backyard.

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