OPINION: Keeping your Puss with you - forever

FINAL RESTING PLACE: Taxidermy is proving to be a popular means of preservation among pet owners.

For many of us, the loss of a pet is our first experience with death, and incidentally our first taste of the sadness and pain that accompanies the joy of loving another living creature.

Throughout such terrible times, one of the hardest things to think about is your pet's final resting place. It's never an easy decision -- and while you're grieving it certainly isn't fun. While traditional backyard burials were once a default choice, the popularity of pet cremation services has soared, as have the industries of more alternative options such as pet cemeteries.

For some pet owners the idea of never seeing their furbaby again is too much to bear, and the conventional taxidermy industry has certainly risen to the challenge. However a more space-age option is becoming popular: freeze-dried taxidermy.

While at first thought, the term "freeze-dried" seems more suited to astronaut ice cream, pet treats and the berries found in your morning cereal, it actually does an amazing job on animal remains.

Also known as lypholisation, freeze-drying involves placing the object into a vacuum and freezing it, before extracting all the moisture straight from solid ice into vapour form, thus skipping the liquid phase. Since the ice does not liquefy, as would occur under normal drying conditions, the incidence of structural changes and shrinking of the object in question is massively reduced.

When it comes to animal remains, these things take time. Large dogs, for example, can be in the freeze-drier for nearly a year, and smaller animals still take three to six months. The vaporising of the ice has to be done incredibly slowly, and that's what gives the amazing end result.

To be fair, it is a little freakier than conventional taxidermy, as all the internal organs and bones are left in place, perfectly preserved. The only things that need replacing after freeze-drying are the eyes!

The results are beautiful -- freeze-dried animals are so unbelievably lifelike -- but the cost can be scary. Very large dogs can cost upwards of $4000 in the USA, and possibly even more here.

It's a long time and a lot of money to invest in a deceased pet. However, for many people money is a non-issue when it comes to their furchildren.

A quick Google search of freeze-dried taxidermy speaks for itself -- this is a fantastic, revolutionary way of preserving our furry loved ones forever. The unique process addresses many of the issues that conventional taxidermists may face, and provides yet another interesting option for us when finding a way to pay tribute to our departed furbabies.

I can't say I'd ever choose it myself, but I can certainly see why it's becoming so popular.