Man Ordered To Dig Up Deceased Pet And Remove It

An Akureyri man received a call from the Health Supervisory Authority telling him to move the remains of his pet dog, which he buried in his own yard two weeks previous.

Vísir reports that about two weeks ago, Ármann Örn Sigursteinsson of Akureyri laid to rest his pet chihuahua Prins, who had been his companion for the past four and a half years. Ármann told reporters that he loved his dog dearly – having no children of his own, he said he regarded Prins as a kind of surrogate child.

Ármann buried Prins in his back yard, adorning the grave with a painted cross bearing the dog’s name, decorating the edges of the small dig site with bricks, wood chips, and a candle. However, it would not be long before the situation was to drastically change.

About two weeks after the burial, Ármann received a call from the North Iceland Health Supervisory Authority about the grave. They informed him that it is illegal to bury your pets on your property. He was told he must disinter Prins’ remains and bury him elsewhere.

“I told them to forget it,” Ármann told reporters, who also said that the situation made him “very angry, and I’m not used to getting upset.”

Ármann says he has received no complaints from his neighbours, leaving him to wonder who phoned the authorities.

“Who calls the Health Supervisory Authority over a little cross in a yard?,” he asked rhetorically, emphasising again that he has no intentions of digging up Prins.