We all act like birdbrains once in a while, especially if we get stuck in a rut that feels like we’re walking on a hamster wheel. So we fish for compliments, get into cat fights, and put our carts before our horses. But it’d be easier for every dog to have its day if we all had pets to come home to.
Pets make life easier, even when we humans are being difficult. They love us unconditionally, and their wagging tails, purring bellies, and sweet birdsongs put smiles on our faces regardless of what kind of day we’re having.
Yet, when one loses a pet, it can be quite traumatic. I remember when my family’s golden retriever, Penny, passed away a few years ago, everyone got really choked up. She was the sweetest and smartest pup in the world. She could catch a Frisbee mid-flight, dive into a pool as gracefully as a galloping gazelle, and could hold multiple racquet balls in her mouth at the same time (her record was five — five! She was quite the talented lady). She was also a champion cuddler and could always tell when you were in need of a good snuggle. When we lost Penny, my parents were so devastated that they decided to cremate her and keep her in an urn so she'd always be around.
Others, however, may prefer to bury their pets in a cemetery — a sacred place where one can go and visit their beloved buddy.
So, how does a pet cemetery that is most likely frequented by mourning owners become abandoned? It's a mystery, but it does happen. Photojournalist Seph Lawless actually stumbled upon one in Louisiana.
What happened to this place? How did it become deserted? Why hasn't anyone bothered to clean it up?
Lawless explores this abandoned pet cemetery with a camera in tow and tries to come up with some answers…
Please SHARE if you think pets should be remembered!
Seph Lawless was doing an assignment about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After navigating his way through the swamps of Louisiana and dodging alligators…
…Lawless came upon this cemetery.
He felt it was, “Dark and creepy…”
“…but beautiful and magical by design.”
“I was overwhelmed by how much owners loved their pets.”
So, he snapped a few photos and discovered...
“One owner even put pieces of his dog’s favorite food on the head stone…”
But how long has that food been there?
And why was this place abandoned?
Lawless decided to do some research.
He exposed something very interesting...
“There haven’t been any pictures taken of this place since it became abandoned in the early '80s,” said Lawless.
But why was it deserted? Apparently…
“…It was the scene of a gruesome murder…”
“And a body was buried [there].”
“Twenty years [after the murder,] the ex-grave digger of the pet cemetery was found guilty.”
“He is now in prison.”
Which means that the leftover Kibble on a headstone…
“…Has sat untouched for over 30 years.”
Lawless is releasing a new book with these images called, Pet Cemetery…In Loving Memory.
To find out more about Lawless and his projects, he updates his Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram feeds often.
Please SHARE this post with everyone you know in hopes of preventing the future abandonment of such sacred spaces.
