London , England ( CNN ) -- Like many people , widow Penny Lally plans to be buried alongside her family . But in her case , that includes a menagerie of family pets . Her husband , John , who died of cancer three years ago at the age of 64 , is already buried with their horse Super Sam , Blot the cat , Muppet the dog , and even Brian the bird . `` I often tell people that John has a canary singing in his ear , a cat purring at his feet , a dog at his side and a horse to ride on when he likes , '' Lally said . `` I know some people might find this strange , but I loved my pets and wanted them all to be close to me and my husband and to each other . '' Lally , 66 , runs a pet crematorium and woodland burial place in Penwith , Cornwall , in southwestern England . She has buried more than 30 owners alongside their animals and has over 100 more plots reserved for pets and their owners , she said . The idea of joint burials was first suggested to her by an elderly neighbor who died at the age of 77 , a year before John 's death , she said . `` Mrs. Winchcombe had seven cats and wanted to be buried with all of them when she died . It was certainly an unusual request , '' Lally said . `` We had to apply for permission to extend our license to burying humans as well as animals , but it was wonderful that we could carry out her last wishes . '' Since then , Lally has seen an increasing number of pet owners in the UK seeking joint burials . There are currently only half a dozen cemeteries in the UK that allow pets to be buried in the same plot as their owners , but in January , Lincolnshire council became the latest authority to grant planning permission for a joint site . `` I think there has been more interest recently because people are starting to realize it is possible , '' Lally said . One of her customers is animal lover Carole Mundy , 54 , who has reserved a plot for herself and her husband Robert next to their 17-year-old golden retriever , Dylan , who was buried at Penwith in 2008 . `` I know it is n't conventional , but I 'm so sick of people saying that 'it was just a dog or a cat , ' '' Mundy said . `` Animals give us unconditional love and I absolutely adore my pets . If people want to call me kooky I do n't care . '' The UK regards itself as a nation of animal lovers , so perhaps it is not surprising that there has been an increase in joint burials , but the practice is also on the rise in the United States . `` There has been a lot of interest from the public , who are asking funeral homes if they can have their pets buried with them , '' said Robert Fells of the International Cemetery , Cremation and Funeral Association in Virginia . `` It 's still a relatively new concept , so whether it 's a fad or an emerging trend , I 'm not sure , but it 's definitely on the rise , '' he said . `` We are seeing an increase in public interest , '' said Roberta Knauf , director of Hillcrest-Flynn Funeral Home in Pennsylvania . `` The joint burial concept started in 2006 , when a few people were interested -- but last year we had close to 70 joint burials in our cemetery . '' In fact , the practice of people being buried with pets is n't new . It dates far back into British history when Anglo-Saxon nobles were buried with their possessions , which included their horses . Even further back , the pharaohs of ancient Egypt would be buried with their mummified cats , dogs and monkeys , which they believed shared an afterlife with humans . But after centuries of affiliation with the pagan gods of Egypt and Rome , pet rituals found little tolerance in the new Christian era . `` The more Christianity became institutionalized , the more animal practices were discouraged as it was accepted that humans were the only beings with souls , '' said Mary Thurston , a Texas-based anthropologist who specializes in the shared history of people and pets . The director of the UK 's Association of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria said people should be buried as they see fit . `` When you pass away , it 's important to have your wishes granted and people deserve to be buried in the manner they choose if they are not hurting anyone , '' Kevin Spurgeon said . `` My horse was such a good friend and by my side through the ups and downs of life , '' pet cemetery owner Lally said . `` Like me , many others see their pets as part of the family and want to be together with them even in death . ''
People and their pets can be laid to rest together at cemeteries in England . Owner : More than 30 people already buried with pets ; no more plots reserved . Future customer : ` ` I ' m so sick of people saying that ' it was just a dog or a cat ' '' Anthropologist : Very old practice died out when Christianity became institutionalized .