Freeze-Dried Dalmatian. Photo Credit: Mike McCullough, Mac's Taxidermy

My great grandmother so loved her canary, that she had a taxidermist preserve the little yellow song bird when he died and attach him to a wooden swing inside a velvet cage.

I inherited the little stuffed birdie when she died. And while it kind of grossed me out, I was intrigued about the process of keeping a beloved pet forever at one’s side long after it died.

Apparently, this is coming back in vogue. But instead of using old techniques employed by taxidermists, a new method is being employed: freeze drying.

Traditional taxidermy involves skinning an animal and stretching its hide over a three-dimensional mold. Th result is, the unique creature that owners knew and loved become generic and don’t look like they did when alive.

Now, what are known as pet preservationists, according to an article in Live Science, “use freeze-dry chambers, which lower air pressure to the point that ice turns directly into gas without going through the liquid phase.”

The result? Your no longer alive pet looks exactly like he did when he was alive.

The process takes a long time. An 80 pound dog would take almost a year to freeze dry.

All my pets have been cremated. And I am not sure I don’t want it that way. What do  you think? Take our poll.