MOUNT CARMEL TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- For many, pets are part of the family and losing one can be heartbreaking.
In most cases, pets cannot be buried in a traditional cemetery, but now in one part of Northumberland County, there is a special place for them.
A pet cemetery recently opened at the Mount Carmel Cemetery. It has room for hundreds of animals.
A pet cemetery is a place where you can bury your beloved pets and visit their graves whenever you want.
"They are part of the family. You fall in love with them," John Brozoskie said.
And when that member of the family passes away, it can be just as sad as losing anyone else. When people die, there are cemeteries, but what about pets?
"We thought that there was a general lack of pet cemeteries around and we knew we had some extra land," said J. Kevin Jones.
Jones manages the Mount Carmel Cemetery. About three years ago, he and some others decided to put in a pet cemetery.
Jones says people ask to bury their pets in the regular cemetery and he has to say no.
The pet cemetery just opened; there are no animals buried there yet.
"People were seeing the sign and we've already had several inquiries about burials here," Jones said.
In order to be buried there, pets must be cremated. A plot of land costs $150 and it's another $150 to open up the land.
Pet owners who live close by tell Newswatch 16 they like the idea of a pet cemetery.
"That would be a good idea. I think it's a good idea, somewhere close in the area and you don't have to travel," Casey Wyra said.
"I think it's a good idea. I don't see anything wrong with it," Brozoskie said.
The pet cemetery board is in the process of choosing markers for the plots, all of which will be flat and the same style.