Mr Buggle said at the moment, people who wished to get their pets buried or cremated had to either head to Orange and pay $400 for a cremation or even further in the mountains to bury their pets. 

“You’ve really got no other choice because it’s apparently illegal to bury your pets in the background and you can’t put them in the bin,” he said. 

According to Mr Buggle, he was told it is illegal to bury a dead pet in your backyard and to put it in the garbage bin to take to the tip.

Mr Buggle said the idea was not about making money but rather about giving people a place where they can put their pets to rest and not have to worry if they move house or the like.

“I want to put in walkways and a nice fence and have it be like an actual cemetery. I think if people could bring their children and educate them on what happens after they die then it could help if someone they know dies,” he said. 

Mr Buggle has already written to council, asking if he could establish the cemetery on his property at Yarrawonga, but the proposal was turned down due to zoning requirements. 

“The land in question is zoned R5 Large Lot Residential pursuant to the Mid-Western Regional Local Environmental Plan 2012. Under this zone, development for the purpose of a cemetery is prohibited land use,” the letter states. 

The letter goes on to state that should Mr Buggle wish to pursue the idea of establishing a pet cemetery then they recommend he purchase a block of land within a zone where this type of land use would be permissible. 

“I don’t have the money to purchase a lock of land and then pay for the costs it would take to set up the cemetery,” Mr Buggle said. 

Mr Buggle had asked Council if it would be possible to turn an unused block of Council owned land near the cemetery for the idea but was also turned down with Council stating “the cemetery is the subject of a master plan which directs the future development of this site...priority must be given to providing space for human burials rather than pets.”

“I can understand that but it would be nice to know when the current cemetery will reach capacity and that block of land will be used,” he said. “I think Council would have something somewhere that could be used.”

Mr Buggle is hoping to get a petition up and running to show council the number of people who would like a pet cemetery in the area. Anyone who would like to be a signatory to the is petition is asked to contact Mr Buggle at bugglenorman@yahoo.com