The final farewell to Chocolatina, one of the first to be buried at Malaga's new pet cemetery

It's one of those days when you wouldn't send your pet outside. The sun's heat is doing its thing and, at ten o'clock in the morning, the temptation to seek refuge where the air-conditioning best reaches you is overwhelming. The sun beats down mercilessly and reinforces the idea that, in reality, there is no good time of day for a burial. On the tombstone of Chocolatina, who everyone called Choco, there will be a snippet of a song by Dani Martín that indicates where the journey is headed: 'El cielo de los perros' (doggie heaven).

Choco was an American cocker spaniel who knew what it meant to struggle in life. He was diagnosed with a disease in one of his eyes and had to have it removed. Then, later on, a small tumour near the spine took away some of his mobility. Michele Pires, a woman dressed in funeral attire and hiding her tears behind large sunglasses, would have liked to have continued hanging more photographs of Choco in her private mosaic of doggie memories. However, last Wednesday the final bell tolled for this dog. "He turned 15," recalls his owner. "I was pregnant with my daughter and they were both born on practically the same day." There are bonds that are created to last forever.

Michele turned up this sweltering morning, accompanied by her husband, Juan Antonio Gómez, and their two youngest children. Luca is eight years old and Giovanna three. The reason for the trip: to make use of the first public cemetery for pets in Spain. It is located in the grounds of Parcemasa and was inaugurated on 24 June. The concept of burying pets in a cemetery is a common one in many European countries. The pet cemetery in Paris, for example, is listed as an architectural gem. "In the end, it's a cultural concept. But times are changing here too," says a Parcemasa worker.

The area where the graves are located is behind a large building with several offices and a waiting room that immediately evokes the atmosphere of holding a wake in a funeral home. To date three dogs and one cat have been buried here. Choco is the fourth. The people in charge of Parcemasa are confident of the effect of having publicised the cemetery and there is space to give 70 pets their final resting place. If needed, there is plenty of land for further expansion.

After choosing the site and doing some paperwork, the family prepares to say goodbye. Two workmen dig a hole for the grave, roughly one metre long by one metre wide. There is enough space to the left and right to ensure some privacy. Michele acknowledges that to some this may seem 'geeky', but to her it's a way of saying goodbye to another member of her family: "And don't get me wrong. When I say that I am Choco's mum, it doesn't mean that I love him more than my children." The opinion of others, in any case, matters little to her.

Luca clutches his mother's leg and starts to cry. Little Giovanna says that "Choco is going to rest now." Silence prevails and all that can be heard now is the buzzing of the cicadas. "The sadness comes and goes in fits and starts. It's a grieving process," Michele explains how she has been feeling over the last week. When she talks about Choco, she does so as if he were another loved one. For her, he has been. The cost of the grave for the next ten years is 250 euros. To this must be added an annual fee for 25 years. In total, the burial of Choco cost 500 euros. In 2034, it will have to be paid again.

"You came as a gift from heaven and you will always be among us. Finco (2005-2021), reads another tombstone. His owners had him buried in the garden of their home but, when the pet cemetery opened, they did not hesitate to move his remains to the cemetery. Every step that is taken here is also a testament to the close relationship that some owners develop with their pets. For Michele and her husband, this trip also has an element of teaching and learning. "Choco's death is also a way of introducing our children to the concept of death itself. We don't usually talk about it, but there is no point in covering it up," she says.

After an hour, the family gets back in the car to start the return journey to Cordoba. Michele is adamant that they will return from time to time to be with Choco. With one hand she holds onto the tombstone given to her by one of the Parcemasa staff. She will take it elsewhere to be engraved with the family's dedication to Choco. She misses her most loyal companion. The pain will go away little by little. Choco, however, will remain forever in her memory.