In Bismarck – Can You Legally Bury Your Pet In Your Backyard?

This didn't even occur to me until yesterday - unfortunately

Before yesterday, I never would have given this much thought to this question: "Here in Bismarck, can you legally bury your pet in your backyard?"  - I came home from yesterday to find my cat of over 15 years dead on the carpet floor; she had been losing quite a bit of weight over the last couple of weeks - The worst thought in my head was "What if I came home one day and my cat would be deceased?"

Of course, you don't WANT to try and think about the reality of the above happening

It did, like I said, yesterday. Before I left work, an amazing co-worker, Scott McGowan, knew of my dilemma. He had an option for me that I never considered. WHEN my cat would pass, he offered to bury her in his yard. First of all, how many people do you know who would do that for someone else? Not very many, none as far as I have ever heard of. Scott went home and did some research on a simple question - "Can You Legally Bury Your Own Pet In North Dakota?"

Here is what he found out  

According to bismarcknd.gov "No dead animal shall be deposited or allowed to remain upon any premises within a quarter of a mile of any park, city highway, state highway, or any public highway, road or alley, or any dwelling or other structure used or occupied by a person or persons, nor to throw any dead animal or decayed animal matter into any pool of water or city trash bins in the city, or in any standing or running water or in any open excavation, and any animal deposited or allowed to remain upon such premises is declared to be a public nuisance. 4. It shall be the duty of the owner of a dead animal to dispose of such dead animal in a manner authorized by law. 5. It is unlawful for any person to bury the carcass of any dead animal in such a way that there shall be less than three feet of soil above such carcass."

Tomorrow I will hand my cat over to an incredible friend, and I will rest easy knowing that she is in a comfortable place.