How did Ollie the dog end up in a landfill?
HOLLYWOOD A Miami pet cemetery offered to give Ollie — the pit bull stabbed 50 times — a proper burial, but a Fort Lauderdale rescue group rejected the offer because it was outside Broward County.
Instead, the cremated remains of the dog that generated an outpouring of love and more than $100,000 in donations has ended up in a landfill near Kissimmee.
“That’s heart-wrenching to hear,” said Nadia Barkett, a spokeswoman for the Pet Heaven cemetery in Miami. “I don’t feel that any animal should end up in a landfill. All animals deserve respect and dignity when it comes to end of life.”
Jan Milbyer, founder of Grateful Paws, the rescue group that offered to find a home for Ollie if he recovered, said Monday she did not realize his ashes would end up in a landfill far from South Florida.
Ollie died on Oct. 12, two days after being found by a passer-by. He was rushed by Hollywood police to VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital, where vets initially said they had high hopes Ollie would survive.
At the request of the animal hospital, Ollie’s body was sent to a state lab in Kissimmee for a necropsy.
His remains were then incinerated and taken to a landfill in Osceola County as part of standard practice, said Aaron Keller, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
On Monday, animal hospital spokeswoman Linda Ream said the vets knew they’d never get the remains back when they requested a necropsy — but in previous interviews she said it was up to Grateful Paws what happened to the ashes.
Animal lovers donated $60,000 in reward money to help find Ollie’s killer. And Grateful Paws collected more than $40,000 to help pay his vet bills.
Pet Heaven officials say they are working with Grateful Paws on a memorial service for Ollie. The service, which would include a formal blessing for Ollie from clergy of different faiths, will likely be held in Davie in four weeks.