A social media post about a Tennessee pet cemetery being “canceled” has pet owners worried about their furry friends’ final resting spots.
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For pet owner Tisia McCormick, the cemetery in Gallatin, just north of Nashville, is more than a resting place—it’s also a sanctuary of cherished memories.
“Tippy, she was my first dog. Actually, my stepfather got her for me a month after my real father died. I had her for over 16 years, and she was our dog, buried there,” McCormick told Nashville’s WSMV 4.
“She was a special dog. She was part of our family,” she added.
Seven of McCormick’s family pets are laid to rest at the pet cemetery.
According to records obtained by Gallatin News, Pet Rest Cemetery was founded in 1979. For decades, it served as a final resting place where pet owners could purchase plots, install markers, and lay their animals to rest.
In early February, Horace Elmore, a member of the Hip Gallatin Facebook group, visited the Pet Rest Cemetery. He penned a post concluding with, “K9 Bruno, the first canine of the Gallatin, Tennessee Police Department is buried out here and about to be covered up by them building a metal storage facility!”
Of course, the post gained a lot of attention. This led Sumner County Sheriff Eric Craddock to launch an investigation, as he told the Gallatin News.
“When I heard about the Facebook post, I drove over there and managed to get the new owner, Benjamin Patton, on the phone. He told me nothing was being bulldozed; he was just doing some cleanup on the property.”
“He assured me that Bruno’s headstone would not be touched. It didn’t look to me like anything was being disturbed in the cemetery area,” Craddock added.
How a Facebook Rant Led to Fears of the Beloved Pet Cemetery Getting Canceled
Through a Facebook post, Patton appeared to have instructed the removal of the pet graves.
“Management has been chastised with lies and deceit, misinformation, etc., stating that construction is compromising the existing pet cemetery,” he wrote in a February 19th post. “You all have publicly asked for this. I am intolerant of your lies about what is going on on this property. Given such, I am canceling the cemetery. Come and remove your animals.”
When Patton’s Facebook post started making the rounds, it sent shockwaves through animal lovers.
“This is really heartfelt stuff. Those animals have a lot of meaning to their people. I don’t think [the property owner is] being very sensitive about that,” McCormick explained.
However, Patton told WSMV that his post was a response to allegations that he was planning to destroy the cemetery after acquiring the property in 2018.
“Come and get your pets if you’re going to lie,” he wrote in a text message.
Meanwhile, offficials in Sumner County have confirmed to the outlet that no construction is taking place over the pet cemetery.
The county’s director of planning and engineering revealed another violation: a creek buffer on the property was cleared without the required permit. Officials intend to address this issue directly with Patton.
Of course, McCormick holds onto hope that the graves of her beloved pets will be left undisturbed.
“It’s protected, and nothing will happen to them. That’s my hope. I hope that nothing happens to them. I hope that no one’s little stones have been messed up or anything like that.”
County officials also stressed that preserving the pet cemetery is a priority, and any changes would need approval from the commissioners, which they believe is unlikely.