Meadow of Memories a final resting spot for beloved pets

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Animals, like humans, deserve a quiet, eternal resting spot, some people think.

That’s why Shirley Kukhan came up with the idea to create a pet cemetery that overlooks the Cedar River six miles northeast of Charles City.

Meadow of Memories opened in the spring of 1983 as a place where pet owners or admirers of animals could continue their lifelong bond with their companions.

“Pets love you unconditionally and they’re always there for us. They know when you don’t feel well,” said Kukhan.

The vibrant green grass that spans several acres outside Shirley and her husband Arlyn’s rural Charles City home currently holds more than 700 plots. The serene environment is adorned with headstones and keepsake memories of past pets.

“This is a peaceful place that shows love for pets,” said Shirley. “They’re members of the family.”

The plots mainly consist of dogs and cats that have been buried there. But there are larger animals like horses and donkeys that also rest in the cemetery.

“The one with the rock out there – the horse’s name was Rock,” Shirley said. “My husband found that big boulder and put the rock there.”

Shirley said they don’t bury horses anymore, and she tries to keep smaller and larger animals on separate sections of the cemetery. Shirley said they don’t sell plots, but she makes it a point to keep numerous pets from the same family together.

“We have two rabbits, a chicken and a water dragon,” said Shirley.

There are also two fish that have Meadow of Memories as their final home.

Shirley’s grandson wanted a place where they could come visit and remember their little fish-bowl swimmers.

“My daughter and son-in-law – their last name is Fisher and it was my grandson’s fish,” said Shirley. “So I have the Fisher’s fish – Shamu and Nemo.”

Shirley started working as a veterinarian’s assistant at Cedar River Animal Hospital (now called Avenue of the Saints Animal Hospital) in 1980. Two years later during the fall of 1982, she went through all the steps to get the permits and to be licensed to run the cemetery.

“I went through the Floyd County Board of Supervisors. They granted me permission,” she said.

Shirley said the only option for some to deal with their pets when they died was contacting a rendering service.

“That’s pretty horrible when you think of your beloved family pet,” she said.

Kukhan said when she was working at the animal hospital for the late Dr. Bruce Dietrich, she felt for the pet owners who had didn’t have very many options after their animals’ deaths.

“I could sympathize with the people – the pain they were going through when they lost their pet,” she said.

Shirley said owners couldn’t bury their pets in town so she asked Dr. Dietrich if she could bring the pets home and bury them underneath a walnut tree on her property. Dietrich said that was fine.

“I ended up having half a dozen pets buried under that tree,” said Shirley. “The walnut tree isn’t there anymore.”

Shirley and her husband perform about 20 burials a year. She said she has several families from the Mason City area that have their pets buried at the cemetery.

Shirley recalled a couple from Michigan that was visiting relatives in Charles City one summer when their pet died unexpectedly. They had heard about the pet cemetery and the Kukhans were able to accommodate the owner’s wishes to have their pet buried before they traveled back home.

Pet owners leave flowers or other mementos at the gravesites. They can also hold ceremonies during a burial or sing songs.

“Some people elect not to come. It’s too traumatic for them to come,” said Shirley. “I call them after their pet has been buried and then they come out when I have the marker out.”

There is also a graveside prayer that Shirley’s boss had found years ago and she will read that often when the pet is put in the ground. Some families have also held religious services with music at the gravesite.

“They personalize it however they want,” Shirley said. “They can come out whenever they want.”

Shirley and her husband say they plan on running the cemetery for many more years to come and want to continue the legacy of Meadow of Memories long after they are gone, whether that’s through a friend or family member.

“It will stay a pet cemetery,” said Shirley. “They’re not going to plow it up.”

Shirley often walks through the cemetery, making sure headstones are clean and flowers are upright.

“You just walk through and think about them and stuff,” she said.

She has many fond memories of all the years helping families deal with the loss of a pet or animal.

“When I started this I had no vision of how it would grow,” said Shirley. “Time goes so fast.”