£4,000 funeral held for dog

A Hertfordshire dog has been honoured with a £4,000 funeral as its owner felt dogs “should have the same respect as humans”.

Captain, a Staffordshire bull terrier, died on Christmas day after suffering a cardiac arrest during an operation. Owner Sasha Smajic, 37, didn’t eat for a week after the dog’s death, spending £4,249 on its funeral. Costs for the funeral included £225 on a dove release and £620 on flowers which spelled the dog’s name.

The dog’s body was picked up from the vets in a horse drawn carriage before being transferred to a hearse when it reached the dog’s favourite park.

Owner, Smajic said: “I don’t think I’ll ever celebrate another Christmas. I don’t think I would ever have the strength to do that – a piece of me has gone. Captain deserved a special send off. For some people he was a dog, to me he was my baby – he was everything to me and always will be.

“I don’t think we should differentiate [between humans and animals]. If you decide to have a pet then you have decided to have a kid in your family and they should have the same respect as humans.”