Disposition Options
Mummification
In 1975, an esoteric organization by the name of Summum introduced "Modern Mummification," a form of mummification that Summum claims uses modern techniques along with aspects of ancient methods. The service is available for spiritual reasons. Summum considers animals and people to have an essence that continues after the death of the body. The company's mummification process is meant to preserve the body as a means to aid the essence as it transitions to a new destination. Summum calls this "transference," and the concept seems to correlate with ancient Egyptian reasons for mummification.
Rather than using a dehydration process typical of ancient mummies, Summum uses a chemical process that is supposed to maintain the body's natural look. The process includes leaving the body submerged in a tank of preservation fluid for several months. Summum claims its process preserves the body so well that the DNA will remain intact far into the future, leaving open the possibility for cloning should science perfect the technique on humans.
However, if DNA preservation is your goal, this can be accomplished through a simple and inexpensive DNA storage procedure.
According to the organization's website, Summum has mummified numerous pets, including birds, cats and dogs. Summum reports that people were mummified early on, when the organization developed its process. Summum also reports that many people have made mummification arrangements.