Hartsdale Pet Cemetery
America’s oldest pet cemetery was established in Hartsdale,
New York, in 1896. A veterinarian
converted his apple orchard into a final resting place for dogs. Today the cemetery, known as “The Peaceable
Kingdom” is the final resting place for more than 80,000 pets of every
kind. Some of the pet mausoleums are
spectacular, including a fifty ton above-ground
mausoleum for two spaniels, the first and largest of its kind in the world. The
famous War Dog Memorial, dedicated after World War I, was the first public
tribute to honor military canines for their bravery and sacrifice. The cost of a burial plot, casket and
interment runs some $1,800 for small pets.
The Aspin Hill Memorial Park, established
in 1921 in Aspen Hill, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C., is believed to be
the second-oldest pet cemetery in the nation, and is the final resting place
for various animal celebrities, including stars of movies and television, pets
of U.S. politicians and heroes of foreign wars, as well as more than
50,000 other beloved pets. Notable
pets buried in the cemetery include seven dogs that belonged to J. Edgar
Hoover, and Rags, the mascot of the First Division on World War I, “who risked
life and limb in the Meuse-Argonne when he crossed enemy liens to deliver a note to Allied Forces.” President
Lyndon Johnson’s
dogs were cremated at Aspin Hill and the remains sent to Texas. There also are 17 horses and hundreds of pet
rabbits, monkeys, parrots, turkeys, goats, hamsters, guinea pigs, frogs,
goldfish, turtles and snakes buried at Aspin Hill, as well as thirteen humans
who chose to be buried close to their pets.