'Member of the family': Couple discovers beloved dog's grave missing during pet cemetery visit
Lyn and Andrew loved Deejay the bull terrier like he was their child.
When he died 14 years ago, they laid him to rest at Animalia Pet Cemetery and decided to visit his grave every year.
"He was a member of the family, that's what pets are," Lyn said.
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Lyn and Andrew loved Deejay the bull terrier like he was their child. A Current Affair
"We didn't want to put him in our backyard in case we moved.
"We wanted to put him somewhere where he'd be there forever, and we didn't want to cremate him."
When they went back to visit last month, the site in Bacchus Marsh, north of Melbourne, had been ripped up with plaques and grave stones missing.
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When they went back to visit last month, the site had been ripped up. A Current Affair
The new owner of the land purchased the property in April and he's within his legal rights.
He provided an old contract from the business, which states plots were on lease for five years.
Lawyer Justin Lawrence explained that the issue was that when Lyn and Andrew buried their pet, "there was no legal assurance given to them as to for how long that land would remain in that condition".
"The owner can say, 'I've changed my mind. It's no longer a pet cemetery, and there's nothing you can do to enforce it'," Lawrence said.
The new cemetery owner told A Current Affair the previous owner closed off the property and removed the plaques, insisting the animal's remains were not disturbed when the concrete was removed.
He said he has planted a rose garden on the graves instead.
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