Obits for pets being offered in Singapore newspaper

A newspaper in Singapore is offering grieving pet owners the opportunity to share their goodbyes to a loved pet in an obituary.

The Straits Times, Singapore's largest newspaper, is now allowing grieving pet owners to publish obituaries for their beloved pets that have crossed over into the Rainbow Bridge. According to Reuters, the memorials will be placed in a "pets corner" of the newspaper's classified section. Reportedly, Singapore's population amongst the wealthy are having fewer children and are showering more attention on their pets. "Though dogs and cats once roamed free around neighborhoods in Singapore, pet owners today are extremely protective of their pets," Reuters reported. A recent report by Euromonitor indicated people in Singapore are also spending more money on premium pet foods and other pet accessories. "The humanisation trend is evident in Singapore’s pet care industry as many pet owners are increasingly treating their pets as household members and are therefore pampering their pets with luxurious food, products and services, just as they would dote on their family.," the November 2012 report said. The report did note that the pet market is currently saturated and is expected to slow down. However, as a new service offered in Singapore, obituaries may become the next trend. Pet obituaries are not a new concept, as a BoingBoing piece recently pointed to (via Google suggestion) an obituary posted on a U.S. based website. According to Reuters, each pet obituary in The Straits Times will cost S$50 ($40.96), plus a 7 percent goods and services tax and a photo can be included.