Extra time has been granted to area residents to remove the remains of their animals from a local pet cemetery.

Heavenly Acres pet cemetery in Genoa Township closed down last September 30th after its lease expired. Recently, pet owners with animals buried there were informed that there would be a “final opportunity” to exhume the remains of their pets with three days each in July, August and September. There are reportedly 74,000 animals buried on the 40 acre property on S. Kellogg Road.

Last week, District Court Judge Matt McGivney was asked to grant additional time to the pet owners. But Brighton attorney Shari Pollesch, who represents the property owners, Carol Street Park Ridge, said they would be given until the end of September to do so. However, they would also need to sign a waiver five days in advance of their exhumation dates. She told WHMI that any person who goes onto the property without returning a signed waiver would be considered a trespasser. Pollesch added that, “It has not my client’s desire to prevent folks who wish to exhume pet remains or burial accessories from the property from doing so, which is why my client offered these opportunities before the litigation was filed. And, several exhumation activities have already taken place. However, for liability purposes, there has to be some order to these activities, and that requires scheduling through my office.”

The final dates were the result of a settlement between Carol Street Park Ridge, four pet owners and Linda Williams, who ran the pet cemetery prior to its closure. As part of his ruling allowing the additional time for exhumations, Judge McGivney declined a motion for a restraining order on the property to prevent any damage to pets, saying it would interfere with the pending settlement.

A September 6th hearing is set in the case for a final dismissal of the lawsuit. (JK)