The owners of a dog that passed away in 1902 wanted to give their pet a proper burial. A lot of people who lived during that time didn’t have the extra money to purchase a tombstone for their pets. However, these owners decided to spend the extra money that they had in order to give their pet the burial that it deserved. The owners wanted their pet’s name to be remembered for as long as possible. They decided to carve the N-word into the tombstone so that it would be there for all to see. It’s been roughly 118 years since the dog was buried. When the local city council saw the tombstone and the name that was carved into it, they wanted the stone removed as soon as possible.
Council leaders felt that the N-word wasn’t appropriate for a dog that had died, and it certainly wasn’t appropriate for any dog that would have gone to heaven at the time. The tombstone is located in a pet cemetery in the United Kingdom. The city council learned about the name after a visitor saw it and made a report. Even though the name is one that’s racially inappropriate, the cemetery owners didn’t want to remove the stone. This is when the city council decided to take things into its own hands to remove the monument to someone’s beloved pet. This was a name that was quite popular at the time the dog died even though it gives other feelings in today’s time.
The public wanted city council members to remove the stone, but after the council looked at the history of it, they wanted to try to keep it as a memorial and a reminder of how much people have struggled in the past and where they are today. They also thought that the tombstone could be used as a way to educate people about race. Aside from people who live in the city, visitors find the tombstone unsettling as well. A man who lives near the cemetery, Nathan, enjoys learning about history but feels that the stone should be removed because of the name. A suggestion was made to put the marker in a museum so that it can be on display for those who want to see it and learn about its history. In 1902, the name on the stone was common for British people. However, it was acceptable mostly by white people. Black people were still offended by the name as many are today. There was a battle among council members and people in the city. The end result was that the stone was removed from the cemetery and placed in a historic so that it can be preserved.
