Quote de jour

"Called back."
~Epitaph written by Emily Dickinson for her grave.

The longer I live in Westchester, the more hidden and unusual places there are to discover. The world's oldest pet cemetery is my neck of the woods. Not only is it the oldest cemetery for pets, it's one of the top ten cemeteries in the world as featured in The Lonely Planet's guide "Best in Travel 2009". It's right up there with the Taj Mahal and the pyramids of Giza.

 Hartsdale pet cemetery opened initially for dogs in 1896 but soon included cats, rabbits, birds, reptiles, even a lion cub and a race horse. There are 70,000 pets there and about 700 humans who insisted on being buried with their four-legged BBFs. The cemetery is a steep wedge of  five acres sandwiched between busy Central Avenue and quiet N. Washington Avenue. The cemetery has entrances at each street. I prefer entering from Washington which is quieter and the road happens to be a short cut I take every week to nearby Trader Joes. I'm an unabashed cemetery buff, having seen some of the most spectacular all over the world, but the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery truly is something special. I won't lie, with two elderly Siamese cats, I have contemplated a having a little chat the folks there, but not just yet.
This is the original sign and entrance on Central Ave. Please note: if going up multiple stairs is an issue, then use the back gate on Washington. There is parking for only several cars there.

There is a charming office smack in the middle of the cemetery, as well as a crematorium and the caretaker's cottage.

This is the back gate.
A fresh grave surrounded by gravestones of pets of every religion and political persuasion.


At first glance, one might think it's a regular but exceptionally maintained cemetery, until you notice the names like Fluffy, Kippers, and Blackberry. The winding flower lined paths have a peaceful charm, and every so often you'll come across an especially poignant gravestone and go, "Ah". There mutts and champions, famous and anonymous, all at peace now. There is Sirius, the only search-and-rescue dog from 9-11, Robby, the famous war memorial dog and even Clarence, Mariah Carey's dog. 

To learn more about this fascinating sliver of history and Hartsdale, please visit  Hartsdale pet cemetery's website http://www.petcem.com/ There are additional photos, video and map there.

If you are in the area on Sunday, September 13th, come celebrate National Pet Memorial Day.  There will be a Blessing of the Animals by an inter-faith minister at 1PM. All well-behaved pets of any species is welcome to attend. There will also be a pet adoption day conducted by Shelter Pet Alliance  http://www.shelterpetalliance.org/ at the cemetery from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM. A nice variety of kittens, puppies, cats and dogs will be available for adoption.