Rowville pet cemetery forced to close after neighbours complain

GRIEVING pet owners have been forced to collect memorial plaques for their pets after the only pet cemetery in Melbourne was forced shut due to neighbours’ complaints.

A COUNCIL says it’s not to blame for the closure of a pet cemetery in Melbourne’s east.

The Pets Memorial Gardens in Rowville closed last month with owner John Alexander citing restrictions on crematorium operating hours due to complaints from neighbours.

But Knox City Council has rejected Mr Alexander’s claims, stating the council had not enforced any such restrictions.

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“Contrary to speculation, council has not enforced any new restrictions on the Pets Memorial Gardens, including a reduction on the hours its crematorium could operate,’’ it said in a statement.

“The only record of contact that council has had with the former owner/operator in recent years was a site inspection involving Council and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in 2017, which found no breaches of operating procedures or guidelines.”

Pets Memorial Gardens shut three weeks ago.

John Alexander has been devastated by having to close the pet cemetery in Rowville.

A memorial for Happy the dog.

Family pets and champion racehorses are among thousands of animals buried at the one-hectare cemetery.

Mr Alexander, who has been in the pet funeral industry for more than 20 years after taking over from his father, had told the Sunday Herald Sun he was “devastated” by the closure.

“It’s heartbreaking for all involved,” he said. “There’s so many family pets buried here — my own included.”

Mr Alexander said complaints from neighbours about the noise and smoke from the crematorium had prompted the local council to reduce its operating hours.

“We had to cut down the number of pets we were ­accepting. It just wasn’t feasible anymore,” he said.

After making the upsetting decision, Mr Alexander placed public notices asking people to collect their memorial plaques to their pets.

“It’s incredibly disappointing … I’m not sure what we’ll do next,” he said.

John Alexander tends a memorial to Caulfield Cup winner Taksan.

A memorial to a beloved pet cat in the animal cemetery in Rowville.

It’s not just cats and dogs who have found their final resting place on the private land, with rabbits, goats and even fish interred.

Champion jumper Lots of Times and 1978 Caulfield Cup winner Taksan are among the equine notables.

The Lost Dogs’ Home has a memorial at the cemetery dedicated to “The Unnamed Stray”, representing “those unfortunate dogs who daily, we must send from this world lost, abandoned and rejected”.

Cremation had taken over burial as the preferred option in the past two decades, Mr Alexander said, but he still had many regular visitors.

“The gates were always open to the public to visit … people would come and lay flowers most days.”

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