Pet's Rest has interred more than 13,000 pets, ranging from goldfish to rabbits to a monkey to dogs, in nearly 60 years of business, C'de Baca said. He said that decades ago, the founders of Pet's Rest, C'de Baca's in-laws, and one of the principles in Cypress Abbey Co., agreed verbally to allow Pet's Rest to use vacant property next to the cemetery.

After C'de Baca took over the cemetery, he entered into a formal 20-year lease with Cypress Abbey in 1986, saying he believed Pet's Rest would be able buy the property outright.

But the lease documents make no provision for a sale, and indicate the property had to be returned in its original condition within 90 days of the lease ending in May 2006, said David Friedenberg, an attorney for Cypress Abbey.

C'de Baca said he made multiple attempts to try to purchase the land.

"I'm an optimist," C'de Baca said. "I thought (Cypress Abbey) would come around."

Friedenberg said Cypress Abbey "feels bad" for pet owners, but said a sale was never in the offing.

"The lease is very, very clear,'' Friedenberg said. "We're concerned about what happened, but (Cypress Abbey) needs the land, and they've been waiting 20 years to get the land back."

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