North Grenville, Ont. interested in creating cemetery for pets

The municipality of North Grenville is looking into bringing a pet cemetery to the community.

"Many residents in North Greenville have dogs and cats and care about them deeply,” said North Grenville mayor Nancy Peckford. “We recognize that as a community this is a service in need that might be there.”

Peckford says the idea was brought forward at a recent council meeting and that the service had become popular in the United States.

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters

Currently, not many pet cemeteries exist in Canada. Peckford says the municipality will be researching the project over the coming months.

“We would only want to operate it municipally if it was sustainable and self-sustaining,” says Peckford.

No location for a potential pet cemetery has been selected at this time, but any location would need to be separate for any other cemetery.

"We haven't designated a piece of land, but we have large parcels of land, including Ferguson Forest, among other locations. So certainly, we'd be asking staff to look at the suitability of one of those publicly held pieces of land."

Ferguson Forest in Kemptville is already home to a popular dog park, where many pet owners say they would appreciate having a pet cemetery in the community.

“I think it would be good for the town because this is a dog loving town,” said Bernadette Hogbin, who brought her two dogs out to the park Thursday.

“I think it would be a great thing to know where your pet was,” adds fellow pet owner Susan Bryson.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

“Nowadays you just go to the vet, and you pay and the they euthanize the dog and then they dispose of the body."

Experts say a common option for families whose pets have died is cremation.

Kemptville Animal Hospital veterinarian Dr. Tracy Godfrey says being able to offer owners an additional option would be beneficial.

"Pets are becoming more and more like family. It kind of provides an opportunity or a place for people to go after their pets have passed for them to visit again."