學習為毛孩送行的5個階段

5 Stages of Learning to Say Goodbye to Your Furry

毛孩是我們的家人，也是我們生命教育的老師。當毛孩進入我們的家庭，牠教導我們「愛」與「關懷」，離開的時候，牠讓我們有機會面對「離別」與「死亡」的課題。

Our furry friends are our family members and our life teachers. When they enter our homes, they teach us about love and care. When they leave, they give us the opportunity to face the lessons of separation and death.

面對與處理毛孩的身後事，是主人無可避免的責任，究竟該如何選擇與處理，完成毛孩生命最後的旅程，才能圓滿而無遺憾呢？

Facing and handling the affairs of a pet after death is the owner's unavoidable responsibility. How should one choose and handle them to complete the pet's final journey of life in a perfect and regret-free way?

目前寵物生命禮儀服務的套裝服務，主要有「中式信仰」與「西式信仰」兩種，中式信仰適用於佛教、道教與民間信仰，西式信仰則是基督教和天主教，一般是依照主人的信仰來為毛孩做規劃安排。若為無宗教信仰家人，則誦經或禱告的流程，更改為保留時間讓家人與寶貝好好地道別。

Currently, pet funeral packages are available in two main categories: Chinese and Western. Chinese beliefs encompass Buddhism, Taoism, and folk religions, while Western beliefs include Christianity and Catholicism. Generally, arrangements for pets are tailored to their beliefs. For families with non-religious beliefs, the chanting or prayer process is modified to allow time for the family to properly say goodbye to their pet.

第一階段：臨終關懷Phase 1: Hospice Care

面對毛孩的臨終，建議讓毛孩在牠熟悉的環境中，準備乾淨的毛巾或尿布墊，讓牠以舒適、習慣的方式躺或臥，依家庭宗教信仰，播放佛樂或輕音樂，溫柔的在毛孩耳邊說：「謝謝你這一生的陪伴，帶給我們許多的感動跟溫暖，現在，你的生命已經圓滿了，你將回到天上當快樂的天使，我會陪在你的身邊，你要安心放下，不要有罣礙，我愛你。」

Faced with the death of your pet, it is recommended to prepare a clean towel or diaper mat in a familiar environment, let it lie or lie down in a comfortable and habitual way, play Buddhist music or light music according to family religious beliefs, and gently say in the pet's ear: "Thank you for your companionship in this life, bringing us a lot of touch and warmth. Now, your life is complete, you will return to heaven as a happy angel, I will accompany you.

毛孩往生時，可以為祂蓋上往生被或十字被。

When your pet passes away, you can cover him with a death blanket or a cross blanket.

往生被又叫「陀羅尼經被」，主要功能是在於「除障」、「加持」與「保護」，讓毛孩能夠免除障礙，往生順利；西式信仰，則為十字被。

The passing-away blanket is also called the "Dharani Sutra Blanket". Its main functions are to "remove obstacles", "bless" and "protect", so that the pet can avoid obstacles and have a smooth passing away. In Western beliefs, it is a cross blanket.

確認毛孩已經往生，就可以通知寵物禮儀師安排接體服務。

Once you have confirmed that your pet has passed away, you can notify the pet funeral director to arrange for the body collection service.

目前台灣寵物接體服務，多數已經可以做到全年無休二十四小時的服務。

Currently, most pet delivery services in Taiwan can provide 24-hour service all year round.

第二階段：殯儀服務Phase 2: Funeral Services

在寵物禮儀師將毛孩的遺體接運到園區後，依照園區服務的排程與主人允許的時間，會與你約定告別式、火化的時程。

After the pet funeral director transports the pet's body to the park, the farewell ceremony and cremation schedule will be arranged with you according to the park's service schedule and the time allowed by the owner.

告別式的意義，在於完成生命最後的儀式，也在幫助你跟毛孩好好的道別，讓毛孩可以帶著祝福與感謝，前往下一趟旅程。

The significance of a farewell ceremony is to complete the final ritual of life, and also to help you say goodbye to your pet properly, so that your pet can go on to the next journey with blessings and gratitude.

告別式的服務流程，包含：為毛孩擦拭淨身、誦經（禱告）道別、火化、撿骨、封罐，一場服務下來，需要的時間為四十分鐘到一個半小時。

The farewell service process includes: wiping the pet's body clean, chanting sutras (praying) to say goodbye, cremation, collecting bones, and sealing the jar. A complete service takes forty minutes to an hour and a half.

寵物的淨身主要是以溫水擦拭，道別的重點，除了宗教的回向或助禱之外，在於表達感謝與祝福。比方寵物禮儀師會說：「今天毛孩貝貝的生命已經圓滿，感謝主人的疼愛與照顧，讓貝貝有一個溫暖的家，現在貝貝準備要啟程前往天堂，我們也給貝貝祝福，讓牠可以展翅高飛，我們永遠愛你。」或「生死是一種自然的生命現象，在此主人也感謝貝貝用一生的陪伴我們，讓家裡多了許多歡樂跟溫暖的回憶，對我們來說，貝貝不僅是我們的朋友，也是我們的家人，我們對貝貝深深的感謝，也祝福貝貝到天堂後，繼續帶給天堂的夥伴歡樂與溫暖。」

A pet's body is primarily cleansed with warm water. Besides religious dedications and prayers, the key to a farewell is expressing gratitude and blessings. For example, a pet ritualist might say, "Today, our pet Beibei's life has come to a close. Thank you for your love and care, which has given Beibei a warm home. Now, Beibei is about to depart for heaven. We also wish Beibei the best of luck, so that she may soar high. We love you forever." Or, "Death and death are natural phenomena. We thank Beibei for her lifelong companionship, bringing so much joy and warm memories to our family. To us, Beibei is not only our friend, but also our family. We are deeply grateful to Beibei, and we wish Beibei will continue to bring joy and warmth to his companions in heaven."

火化時間的長短及收費，取決於毛孩的體重與體積。

The length of cremation time and the cost depend on the weight and size of the pet.

一般來說，北部個別火化的行情（十公斤以下）是五千元，每十公斤為一個級距，費用會增加一千元，寵物火爐能承載的上限約為五十公斤左右。

Generally speaking, the price of individual cremation in the north (less than ten kilograms) is five thousand yuan. The cost will increase by one thousand yuan for every ten kilograms. The upper limit of the pet incense burner is about fifty kilograms.

第三階段：身後安置The third stage: posthumous placement

寵物墓園的規劃，國內較為常見的有塔葬、土葬、樹葬與灑葬，有關身後的安置，大部分都是先經火化，再將骨灰做後續安置處理。

When planning a pet cemetery, the more common ones in China include tower burial, burial, tree burial and scattering burial. Regarding the placement of the remains after death, most of them are cremated first, and then the ashes are placed for subsequent disposal.

塔葬的部分，多數寵物墓園提供年租式的塔位，也有部分業者提供終身式的塔位。年租式的行情約在四千元起，終身式塔位則約在三萬元起。飼主會選擇在寵物塔位安置，是考量塔區有佛像、菩薩陪伴，且有佛樂繚繞。

For pagoda burials, most pet cemeteries offer annual rentals, while some also offer lifetime burials. Annual rentals start at around NT$4,000, while lifetime burials start at around NT$30,000. Pet owners often choose a pet pagoda because of the surrounding Buddha statues and bodhisattvas, along with the sounds of Buddhist music.

當然，也有在火化後，選擇將毛孩的骨灰帶回家自行處理，通常會準備花盆，將毛孩骨灰與植物種入，象徵毛孩以另一種生命型態，陪在家人身邊。

Of course, there are also people who choose to take their pet’s ashes home after cremation and deal with them themselves. They usually prepare flower pots and plant the pet’s ashes and plants in them, symbolizing that the pet is with the family in another form of life.

第四階段：悲傷調適Stage 4: Grief Adjustment

面對毛孩的死亡，可以如何調適自己悲傷的情緒呢？

How can we cope with our grief when facing the death of our pet?

提供二種方式給大家參考：

Here are two ways for your reference:

一、找朋友或家人陪伴，分享自己的經驗和體會，透過分享的過程，讓自己釋懷；二、參與新的社交活動或課程，或是再養一隻毛孩，練習是將自己的注意力與情感轉移。

1. Seek companionship from friends or family, share your experiences and insights, and help yourself feel relieved through the sharing process; 2. Participate in new social activities or courses, or get another pet. Practice to divert your attention and emotions.

悲傷與懷念會因為感情的牽繫而不容易放下，但是經歷一定的時間，慢慢還是會習慣的，最終時間將安撫一切。

Sadness and nostalgia are not easy to let go because of emotional ties, but after a certain period of time, you will slowly get used to it, and eventually time will soothe everything.

第五階段：後續關懷Phase 5: Follow-up care

每年寵物墓園會規劃法會祭祀，你可以選擇幫毛孩立牌位，並親臨法會，共同念經回向給毛孩。

Every year, the pet cemetery will plan a ceremony to offer sacrifices. You can choose to set up a memorial tablet for your pet and attend the ceremony in person to chant sutras together and dedicate the merit to your pet.

在佛教的立場，生命的型態雖有六道（天、人、阿修羅、地獄、惡鬼、畜生）的差異，但是生命的本質是等無差別的，在這個立場上，法會對毛孩有正向的利益。

From a Buddhist perspective, although there are six different forms of life (heaven, human, asura, hell, evil spirits, and animals), the essence of life is the same. From this perspective, Dharma assemblies have positive benefits for furry children.

毛孩的身後事處理，是一門愛與責任的課題，面對這個課題，如同德雷莎修女的名言：「世上沒有所謂豐功偉業，只有出自大無畏的愛而來的小小善行。」

Managing the funeral of a pet is a matter of love and responsibility. Facing this issue, we must live up to Mother Teresa's famous words: "There are no such things as great deeds, only small acts of kindness born of audacious love."

面對毛孩的終程之旅，祝福我們都能以無畏的愛，承擔面對，以無畏的愛，坦然放下。

As we face our furry friends’ final journey, I hope we can all face it with fearless love, and let go calmly with fearless love.

寵物臨終服務職能證照班

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