PET BURIALS OFFER CLOSURE.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

They chose a plot overlooking the entire cemetery.

That's what Tuffy would have wanted.

And his family found comfort, knowing a rabbi would conduct the funeral service and Tuffy could finally rest among friends, old and new.

Two mice named Dennis and Jessica were buried nearby. So was a cat named Precious, and Quaker the dog.

The Randolphs loved their terrier mix, a snowball of a pooch who pawed his way through six years of (human) life until contracting prostate cancer. The family buried the dog Thursday morning at the Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park in Calabasas.

As mom to three kids and a dog, Tracy Randolph didn't want one of her own to go the way of the pound. And with support from Rabbi Sally Olins of Temple B'nai Hayim in Sherman Oaks, the human tradition of burying loved ones in cemeteries soon came to fruition.

``Everyone loved you 'cause you were so cuddly and fluffy. Rest in peace now, our dear little Tuffy,'' said Randolph, her voice quavering as her two daughters, son and husband huddled around Tuffy's neatly shorn plot.

Spanning 10 acres in the brittle hills of Calabasas, the pet memorial park has had tens of thousands of animals buried there since 1927. Marble nameplates no bigger than checkerboards dot the hillside as pinwheels and silk flowers kiss (and lick) an eternal breeze goodbye.

This is the seventh pet funeral that Olins has officiated, but her first at the memorial park. She recently started a business called Pets at Rest that specializes in Jewish and nondenominational memorial services.

``As a clergywoman, this is an area that is missing,'' said Olins, clutching ``Prayer For Our Pets.'' ``It's important to bring closure to the loss of a loved one. Because without closure, there is no healing.''

Those grieving over the loss of a pet occasionally seek out bereavement groups. Judith Harris, a Chatsworth-based therapist, said when she sees people who have lost a dog she turns to ``mush.''

``But what we learn from animals is being able to say goodbye. And then we can say hello to new pets or even people that come into our lives.''

Olins applies the same philosophy to her ceremonies. So far, she has memorialized dogs, cats and even hamsters. The cost: $325. But she officiates without a fee depending on a family's financial situation.

The Randolph family also had to factor in the cost of burial for Tuffy. The casket, plot and marble nameplate run about $1,000 to $1,200 total. After the funeral, the Randolphs sat down with a cemetery representative to discuss purchasing additional plots.

``This is a place for the kids to come,'' said Larry Randolph, whose eyes had reddened as his 10-year-old son, Dustin, eulogized the dog earlier in the day. ``I wasn't too good to Tuffy in the beginning, and I wanted to do something nice for him and the family.''

Evan Pondel, [phone]

evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Rabbi Sally Olins of Temple B'nai Hayim in Sherman Oaks officiates at a memorial service for the Randolphs' dog.

(2) Tuffy, a terrier mix owned by the Randolph family, was laid to rest Thursday at Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer