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The above photos are of our family’s most loved member. “KING” was a snow white German Shepherd, devoted, intelligent, a great companion. King grew up with our family, and we took him everywhere we went. He loved boating, in fact he just loved being with us. If we stopped at a drive-in we always got him a hamburger, and he could drink Coke out of a cup. He was extremely protective, a great guard dog. Around 1973 our family moved from Columbus, Ohio, to West Palm Beach, Florida. As the years rolled along and King was about 10 years old, we noticed that he was having problems getting up and down, and he was not running anymore. We took him to the Vet and got the news we all expected. King had a bad case of hip displasia. We were sick in our hearts that he might not make it much longer. King was in pain, and I had to pick him up and carry him outside to relieve himself. He weighed over 100 pounds but I did not mind. Next we faced the problem of when it was time for him to go. The outcome was inevitable , but I refused to have him put down. So right or wrong, we made him as comfortable as possible until the end. His death broke my heart, as I loved him so much and realized that life without him would never be the same. “PARADISE” PET RANCH In return for his devotion and love for our family I felt I owed him a decent burial. One block from our house was a very nice fairly large pet cemetery, the “PARADISE” PET RANCH. I visited there and saw hundreds of very neat and well cared for graves. Every grave was kept in nice condition, mostly by their owners who came there quite often. I decided to put King to rest there. The owner was an elderly woman who seemed to be concerned with the upkeep and appearance of the cemetery. I wanted a copper casket but she did not have one large enough for King. She had to order one from Chicago. So what to do until the casket arrived, promised in two weeks. I had King frozen. The casket finally arrived, very nice with a silk lining. King was laid to rest, to be eternally 11 years old. I located a monument company here in West Palm and had them make a beautiful granite head stone, inscribed with “KING, BELOVED GERMAN SHEPHERD OF THE MAYO FAMILY.” So I was happy that I done everything in my power to give him the respect he deserved. I had paid the owner for the plot, paid her for perpetual care, and placed the nice head stone. Everything was fine, right.? Well not exactly. A few months went by and I noticed that the entire cemetery was getting overgrown with all kinds of weeds and foliage. There was a distinct deterioration. I tried to contact the owner but she could not be located. So months went by and the foliage was very thick and I was pretty upset. I stopped by and found that vandals had completely destroyed all the neat things that owners had done to the graves. The place was a completely overgrown jungle. I tried to find King’s grave but someone had stolen the beautiful grave marker. It made me sick. I wrote a letter to the newspaper concerning the deplorable condition of the cemetery, and it was actually published in the paper. It was then I realized that nobody really gave a damn. West Palm is not well known for it’s ethics. The year 2007 rolled around, and while reading the paper there was an article that was shocking but not unexpected. The “PARADISE” PET RANCH was to be bulldozed and condos built on the site. I really got an education when I tried to determine the legality of the plan. There are apparently no laws or even regulations governing the operation of a “pet cemetery.” I was told “if you want your dog you dig him up.” How gross. The foliage is so thick it is impossible to get through it. So here is the story. Anyone, without any permit, can take a couple of acres and start a “pet cemetery.” The land would be divided and grave sites actually sold to unfortunate individuals. After selling every inch of the land, then the same land can be sold AGAIN for condos, etc. With the same land sold twice, then tell everyone, if you want your dog come dig him up. There is something radically wrong with that picture. Nice! That is the story of my precious King, beloved member of the Mayo family. I remember not long ago when Barbaro, the race horse died, it made all the papers and TV. All animal lovers were saddened by his death. In our newspaper everyone wrote in how sorry they were over his death. One of the letters said “What is all the fuss about, he was only a horse.” My King is gone, such a devoted and intelligent
dog does not deserve to be “plowed” up. |
| © Copyright 2007 The Patriotic Gentleman and its respective authors. |