Note: Although there are no explicit details, this topic may disturb some readers.

During World War II, Hitler’s Germany established dozens of concentration camps around Europe. Some of these were solely for forced labor, but others were also extermination camps. Human beings sent to these camps were either selected for immediate death or forced to work at hard labor that all too often led to the same result.
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If you live anywhere in the DC metro area, you might have heard about the hundreds of deceased pets found dumped in Hampshire County, WV. The situation is similar to the Tri-State Crematory case in Georgia; the crematory didn’t dispose of the bodies in the agreed-upon manner, which is illegal.

I heard about the pets in West Virginia yesterday on the radio but I didn’t pay much attention. This morning, during a local news segment on NPR, I heard more about it, including the fact that Fairfax County (where I live) was somehow involved. I couldn’t help wondering if it was the place we took Wu, but the news moved on and I forgot about it. Tonight, after we finished dinner, A started a philosophical discussion about souls and bodies and what happens after we die. I didn’t know what she was leading up to, so we talked about it for a while before she broke the news.

Family Pet Creations, in Chantilly, was where we took Wu, and they are presently under investigation in the dumping case. A found out about this during the day today, and she called the Fairfax County police to ask what was being done with the animals. She learned they had already been destroyed, and no attempts were made to identify any of them individually, only that most (if not all) had come from the Fairfax County animal shelter. The officer she spoke with was very sympathetic - in fact, she had taken her cat to the same place a year ago. The officer said she was “choosing to believe” that they had cremated her pet as promised and returned the ashes to her.

So we talked about how we felt about the situation. We opened the white box for the first time and held the sealed clear plastic bag while we talked about it. We agreed that although the company may have dumped shelter animals because they didn’t get paid enough for them, they probably treated individual pets brought to them as they were supposed to be treated. We brought Wu in ourselves, we paid for her individual cremation, and we think we received the actual ashes of our cat and only her. So I don’t think we were lied to or mistreated by Family Pet Cremations, but I am really mad at them for putting the doubt into my mind in the first place. A has disputed the charge on her credit card.

When we finished talking, we finally opened the urn we bought for her. A put in some loose catnip, I put in two milk jug rings and her favorite piece of string, and then I put in the bag without opening it. We got our sweet girl, I’m sure of it, but I just don’t understand why some people can’t do their jobs right in the first place.

Ack! I left my laptop bag at home before driving up to NYC for an extended weekend. Inside the bag were two very important things: my laptop, and my meds. (Those who know me know that these are equally important to my health and overall well-being.) Various options have been discussed - I could just go home after the cat show tomorrow; I could have my meds sent by overnight mail (about $20 via USPS), have the laptop sent, etc. The choice I’m going with for now is to have my meds shipped overnight via USPS. I have access to my friend C’s computer (when he’s not using it) and I have my Sidekick, so that should keep me reasonably well connected despite the feeling that I’ve left a body part behind. Everything I do is stored on that laptop, so computer-based plans I had for the weekend - graphics work, more video blogging - are shot. But I’ll manage.

That said, though, if anybody reading lives in NYC and has a laptop they can lend to a trustworthy geek who is in town through midday January 3rd, please drop me an e-mail…