Closer Look

CLOSER LOOK: 20 years later, pet lover makes shocking discovery about dead cat’s ashes

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Tonight on 'Closer Look': In Ontario, pet cremation is a common occurrence — but what happened to this Burlington cat lover is anything but normal.

Like thousands of pet owners in Ontario, Valerie Stevenson chose to cremate her beloved cat "Jewels" when she died 20 years ago. The Burlington woman kept the cat's ashes in a special urn on a dresser.

But recently, when another one of her cats knocked over the container, Stevenson made a shocking discovery: the ashes actually belonged to a dog, not her cat.

Amid the mess, she found a bone-shaped tag with the name "Sparky" — and a follow-up conversation with the company that performed the cremation confirmed the truth

Unfortunately, the company does not have records dating back two decades ago. So Stevenson is now on a mission to try to find Sparky's owner — and potentially reunite with Jewels' ashes.

SEE: Burlington resident looking for Sparky’s owners after cremation mix-up two decades ago

On tonight's episode of Village Media's 'Closer Look,' Scott Sexsmith speaks to BurlingtonToday reporter Calum O'Malley about Stevenson's ongoing search. You can read his latest coverage HERE.

Stay tuned for more episodes of ‘Closer Look’ every weeknight at 7 p.m. ​You can find all our previous segments HERE.

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