Hidden away Acushnet pet cemetery is final resting spot for thousands

ACUSHNET — You can’t see it from the street, but there is a pet cemetery in town that serves as the final resting place for over 6,000 beloved pets, including 27 horses.

“I worked there many years ago. I made the caskets and did burials,” said Melinda Ventura of the Humane Society and Shelter SouthCoast in Dartmouth.

Back then, the property off Middle Road was known as Cottle Farm. It was purchased by the Animal Rescue League when charter member Susan B. Kempton died and left money for the league to purchase the property, according to a 2011 story in The Standard-Times celebrating the league’s 100th anniversary.

A portion of the farm became known as the Kempton Memorial Rest Home for Animals – named for Susan Kempton.

“We would have the blessings of the animals on Saint Francis of Assisi’s birthday in October,” Ventura remembered.

The first animal interred in the cemetery, according to records of the Kempton Memorial Committee, was a dog in June 1928. While most of the animals were from the local area, Rhode Island and Connecticut, records note the furthest traveled pet owner was F.K. Webster from Englewood, New Jersey.

Dawn White worked at the facility from 1990 to 1995. “Melinda hired me," she remembered. "Ask her to tell you about the time the cows got loose in the cemetery.”

“That was an awesome place to work,” White said of the boarding facility that was also part of the property. She helped in the pet cemetery with cleanups and finding lost markers that were displaced from winter storms.

There is still an existing memorial wall in the cemetery, bearing the names of cherished cats and dogs that have passed and were cremated at the facility. The metal plaques have pictures of the pets, their names, dates of birth and when they died. Some have a fond memory from the family.

Pizza was a black and white cat owned by Harvey and Joyce Mickelson. The plaque reads: Pizza, [7/8]3-3/94. He looked after kittens as if he was their mom. He worried about everything. We’ll miss saying “It’s OK, Pizza.”

Lady was a collie owned by the Pinho family. The plaque reads: Lady Pinho, 1986-1993. We all loved you, Lady. John, Sarah and Eric.

Peanut was a young white kitty owned by Tina Powers. The plaque reads: Peanut Powers, 1995-1995. I’ll always remember you with love, Tina.

White said her own cat, Tiny, is forever remembered on the memorial wall.

“She was 10 years old – a ginger cat,” said White.

The memorial wall is still intact, although leaning a bit.

The Standard-Times put out a call on social media asking who remembered the Kempton pet cemetery and if they might have pets buried there.

“Growing up we had two dogs (not at the same time) Mikey and Casey and a cat named Meenu. My parents couldn't bring me to the cemetery [because] I used to cry a lot,” posted Barbara Paczosa of Acushnet.

“My grandmother has a dog in that place. His name was Joylee,” posted Cheryl Brindle Niles.

Debbie Soares buried her miniature collie golden retriever mix, Buffy, there in 1989. “The people who ran it were wonderful to us.,” she said in her post.

Others posted they had no idea the pet cemetery was even there.

However, traversing the cemetery grounds can prove tricky, Ventura said, noting it doesn’t lend itself to a place where the general public would go walking.

“Back then, the animals were buried in wooden boxes and the bodies weren’t embalmed,” she said. Over the decades, the boxes break down and the graves can sometimes collapse as everything returns to the earth. Those visiting the cemetery must be careful not to take a tumble from accidentally stepping into a collapsed area.

Little shrubs planted long ago, she said, are now huge.

The sign for the Meditation Garden is still there, but overgrowth around it makes it almost impassable.

The cemetery is pretty much landlocked, and wildlife has made its way into the peaceful setting, Ventura pointed out. She’s seen fawns, foxes and wild turkeys on the site.

Ventura said the animal rescue league that operated the boarding kennel and pet cemetery is now the humane society in Dartmouth.

“We still maintain the pet cemetery, but the boarding kennel was sold years ago,” Ventura said, noting the humane society had to sell the properties to support the expense of maintaining the cemetery grounds and the Dartmouth shelter facility.

She said volunteers usually get together after Memorial Day and do a cleanup at the cemetery and then the lawn is regularly mowed.

However, the COVID pandemic kept cleanup crews away this year, Ventura noted.

“People still go there, especially the elderly to put things on their pet’s graves on Memorial Day,” Ventura said.