Pet cemetery is snapshot of Oakville’s past

STORY AND PHOTOS BY OSCAR IMMEL

Rows of tombstones are scattered across the small slice of property, but this is no ordinary cemetery for burying people. It’s for the family pet.

Established in the late 1960s, the Oakville and Milton Humane Society can make the claim of having the first ever pet cemetery in Ontario.

“It was started because we believe that pets are a part of the family,” said Brenda Dushko, manager of the Oakville and Milton Humane Society. “It’s important for them to have a final resting place as well.”

An overview of the pet cemetery located just outside the front of the Oakville and Milton Humane Society.

The pet cemetery is full, with the last burial having taken place over five years ago. To give more space, a columbarium was built.

“Because the cemetery was getting full, we wanted a place where people could intern the remains of their pets,” said Dushko. “To have a place where they could remember them, to mark a life that was very important to them.”

The columbarium was installed 10 years ago. Custom-built specifically for the pet cemetery, its placement was made possible through donations given to the humane society by families in the community.

Anyone who purchases one of the monument’s niches can store four to six urns bearing the ashes of their cremated pets. Each niche cost $750 for the interment of one pet, and each animal after that carries an additional fee of $35.

A close-up of one of the graves. Many of the families with a buried pet return monthly or seasonally to leave behind fresh flowers.

“The columbarium is half-full right now,” said Dushko. “But we can add to it if we do come to a time where it is absolutely full.”

While many animals have been placed in the cemetery, there are no strange stories surrounding it, such as it being haunted. There are however, many interesting pets buried there aside from cats and dogs, such as rabbits, guinea pigs and even a pony.

The pet cemetery is also a snapshot of Oakville’s past. Former mayors such as Harry Barrett and Ann Mulvale have animals buried in the cemetery.

It is also a time capsule of how pet care has changed.

“It’s interesting to see how differently we take care of animals now,” said Dushko. “The nutrition we know about them is better, the way we exercise them, and the veterinarian care is different now than it was in the ‘60s. And as a result, you’ll see that animals live much longer lives now.”

The columbarium for cremated animals. Each niche can hold four to six urns depending on their size. Some families also leave behind items such as collars or a favourite blanket the pet used to sleep on.