Livingston County pet cemetery closure leaves pet owners wondering what's next

More than 74,000 remains buried on property

GENOA TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Heavenly Acres Pet Cemetery in Livingston County closed, leaving many pet owners upset and wondering if they need to dig up their pet's grave this winter.

READ: Livingston County pet cemetery closes, fate of 74,000 remains unknown

There are more than 74,000 pets buried at Heavenly Acres, the cemetery operated for more than 40 years. There are two vacant, abandoned buildings on the property.

Bette Stwart, of Brighton, buried two pets at Heavenly Acres. To her, those pets were family. A Doberman named Duchess was buried in 1980 and a German shepherd named Honey Something in 2007.

Stewart wants to know what's going on at the cemetery. There is a no trespassing sign posted near the old business sign.

The property is owned by a Chicago real estate firm, Carrol Street Park Ridge. It purchased the 12-acre property out of foreclosure.

Carrol Street intends to market the property with the hope of selling it to a party willing to continue to maintain the pet cemetery. 

Bette is deeply troubled with how the Heavenly Acres dissolution is playing out.

The company is giving pet owners the option to dig up their pet's remains, but first people need to go through the company's attorneys.


About the Authors

Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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