BC Pet Cemetery - Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Posted by: 
The A-Team
N 49° 08.661 W 122° 48.848
10U E 513555 N 5443519
The now-abandoned BC Pet Cemetery is located at the corner of 78 Avenue and 147A Street in the Newton neighbourhood of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
Waymark Code: WMM534
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 07/22/2014
Views: 12
This cemetery was created by Daniel and Mary Blair after their dog was killed. Due to the lack of any place to bury their faithful companion, they were forced to dispose of it at the garbage dump. This made them feel so horrible that they decided to create this pet cemetery, believed to be the only one in BC, which opened in 1952. Nearly 700 pets have been buried here over the years, including dogs, cats, gerbils, birds, guinea pigs, and many other species.
In the mid-1990s, Mary Blair sold the cemetery and the surrounding four-hectare property to a developer for $900,000. The new owner stopped accepting burials in the cemetery, effectively closing it. In 1997, the property was rezoned and subdivided to allow for 23 houses to be built, and the developer offered the cemetery to the city for a park, but the city declined. However, the city did place a covenant on the cemetery's property, barring any building on the property until January 1, 2010. In 2009, just before the covenant expired, local residents advocated for designating the site as a park, but nothing has come of it. The cemetery remains unmaintained and unprotected, so anything could happen to it in the future. The cemetery is now partially-overgrown and many of the graves are now hard to spot. However, some are still visible amongst the tall grass, blackberry vines, and various pieces of garbage.
The original, pre-subdivision property's address was 14735 76 Avenue, but it's now designated as 7777 147A Street. It's currently zoned as "Single Family Residential", another indication that it could be developed at any time.
City, Town, or Parish / State / Country: Not listed
Approximate number of graves: Not listed
Cemetery Status: Not listed
Cemetery Website: Not listed
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