A Lake Wales woman has been forced to remove a burial site memorial for her dog at a city park.

  • Ashley Duey didn't have place to bury dog, chose park
  • Local couple arranged to have Jessie Girl cremated
  • Duey, godson dug up grave on Tuesday

Ashley Duey said she and her little Chihuahua Jessie Girl had a special bond.

"If I was doing something that wasn't showing her attention, she would take whatever I was doing. I mean she slept with me every night," Duey said. "She was my child."

Duey would bring Jessie Girl to a city park on Lake Wailes. But last week, Jessie Girl was run over and killed. Duey lives in an apartment and didn't have a place to bury Jessie Girl, so she decided to bury her at the park.

Some park visitors figured the park wasn’t the right place to bury a dog but they could still understand why Duey did it. The city, however, forced her to remove it.

"It's just my dog and I, so he’s my world," said park visitor Jeanette Hughes. "So I can really understand where’s she’s coming from."

Duey didn't have the money for another burial site or to have Jessie Girl cremated, but a local couple came forward to arrange to have the dog cremated by a local vet.

"I'm shocked," Duey said of the gesture. "It feels like a dream."

Duey and her godson dug up the grave and took away Jessie Girl and the box she was buried in Tuesday afternoon.

She was relieved that the episode was ending with things being done properly.