Carla Clark | For The Republic The new pet memorial, a dedicated area for remembering and grieving furry family members that have made a trip over the rainbow bridge, at the Bartholomew County Humane Society, Saturday, May 31, 2025
The Bartholomew County Humane Society has opened a new pet memorial on their site.
Themed to the Rainbow Bridge, the area allows visitors to place their pets’ collars on two black fences, which were donated by Seckman Fencing, that surround the memorial.
Visitors may also write their pets’ names on a ribbon and tie that to the fence if they wish, Bartholomew County Humane Society resource development manager Sarah Ruf said.
“… I know a lot of people have an attachment to that collar, so we have a lot of people who have stopped by and grabbed ribbon from us and put their animal’s name on the ribbon and tied it on the fence,” Ruf said.
The memorial area also includes a rock, donated by Estes, and a wooden bench decorated with green paw prints made by Bartholomew County Humane Society executive director Shawn Bliton. The area is located to the side of the Humane Society, allowing an accessible but private area for the public, Ruf said.
The Humane Society hosted a ribbon cutting and open house on June 1 to commemorate the opening of the memorial. Ruf said the collar of Pebbles, the society’s front office cat who recently died, was the first collar placed on the fence.
“We wanted somewhere to honor her, and so that was kind of the thought behind it, it’s a place where we can honor Pebbles, we can honor other community animals who are passed and that we can remember them and people have a place to go to remember them as well,” Ruf said.
According to Ruf, the memorial has been in development for a couple of months as they wanted to do something during the spring that brought in community involvement. She said the memorial has been a great opportunity for the staff to give back to the community and she believes it will become something that the society continues to evolve and expand.
“We might have another bench or something put in depending on how many people are coming and sitting and what the use is for the public for it, but I think it turned out wonderful and it’s been a great place… our outdoor cats have really loved the extra space we have given them,” Ruf said.
Establishment of the new memorial follows controversy from last December when pet owners who paid to have their pets buried on a former landfill site near the humane society learned that the markers locating the graves had been removed by previous humane society administration.
At the time, Shawn Bliton, executive director at the humane society, said, “As a result, the land has been deemed unsuitable for any future use because there was no ability to make puncture holes in the ground because it would let out the pollution. As a result, the previous humane society administration removed grave markers that were deemed too deep into the ground. I deeply regret the pain and distress this has caused to so many of you, me included. As someone who has experienced the profound loss of a beloved pet, I am devastated by what has occurred.”
In the statement last December, Bliton stressed that “steps will be taken to ensure this type of incident never happens again,” which would include “implementing policies to protect such sacred spaces, ensuring records are meticulously maintained, and enhancing communication with all stakeholders in the future.”
