Although not common, the alternatives to burial or cremation include taxidermy, mummification, and diamond creation. Taxidermy and freeze-drying preserve a dog's lifelike appearance. They can be expensive, however, and some taxidermists do not work on dogs or other pets. You must also remember that taxidermy and freeze-drying preserve your dog as she was at death — not in her peak condition.

A Utah-based company called Summum offers mummification for pets (and people), wrapping them in fine linens bathed with fragrant herbs, oils, and resins. The process takes two to four months, and the animal is returned encased in a bronze mummiform. The cost is high, ranging from $6,000 to more than $100,000, depending on the animal's size and the amount of custom work done for the bronze statuary.

The newest alternative is having your dog's cremains turned into a diamond. A company called LifeGem extracts the carbon from cremains and heats it to extremely high temperatures under special conditions. The process converts the carbon to graphite, which is then placed in a diamond press where it's subjected to extreme heat and pressure, forming a rough diamond crystal. It's then faceted by diamond cutters to your specifications and certified for authenticity.

The entire process takes about four and a half months. You can have the resulting gem set in a ring, necklace, or other piece of jewelry. The price depends on the carat size you choose and ranges from $2,500 to $14,000.