Pet cemetery won’t be emptied

HELENA – Officials responsible for a western Montana pet cemetery are backing off a proposal to exhume and cremate occupants after some of the pet owners threatened to chain themselves to the front gates. The 1.3-acre Arley Burt Pet Cemetery in Helena is the final resting place for some 1,200 dogs, cats, rabbits and hamsters buried between 1972 and 1993. Gina Wiest of the Lewis and Clark Humane Society said the organization considered exhuming the pets in the cemetery adjacent to its shelter following comments from contractors building a nearby Residence Inn by Marriot. But hotel owner Jena Sabatini said she’s OK with the land’s current use. And Helena City Attorney David Nielsen said the Humane Society leases the land from the city and that the city has no plans to disturb the grounds.