Headstones for Pets

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In this day when rumors abound (but are often hard to verify, albeit) that pets who die in a veterinarian’s care can end up being disposed of in disturbingly callous ways, the idea of building pet memorials is becoming more popular every month. But the phenomena of Pet Cemeteries is hardly brand new. Here is a quick look at some of the highlights of the history of the idea of establishing headstones for pets.

Headstones for Pet became popular and fashionable in the 1940’s when “pet cemeteries” first began sprouting up across America. The first headstones for pets were pet cemeteries in New York that were devoted to the burial of dogs that were considered heroes of World War II. Dogs that had served soldiers faithfully (or in some cases were credited with saving soldier’s lives in one way or another) were memorialized with often elaborate cemetery sculptures serving as headstones, and the idea quickly took root across America. Soon families all across America began searching for ways to memorialize their own beloved pets with a headstone and a cottage industry sprang up. Today, at least one pet cemetery can be found in or near just about every large city across America, and plenty of dealers offer pet headstones and other types of pet memorials. In fact, many companies in the death care industry for people have developed entire second branches devoted solely to memorials for pets.

One of the pioneer projects in the tradition of pet cemeteries and pet headstones is at the well known Presidio of San Francisco. This military outpost has been turned into a National Park in recent years because of its historical value, and visitors to the park are often surprised to find a fairly elaborate pet cemetery filled with pet headstones that pay tribute to the cherished animals belonging to the families who were once stationed at the presidio. This particular cemetery is no longer open to new graves, but it is maintained by the United States National Park Service. While members of Congress have occasionally questioned the value of maintaining the pet headstones at taxpayer’s expense (Congressman John Duncan asked voters printed pictures of some of the headstones in a campaign flyer in 1994 with the caption, “Is this your idea of a national park?”), no organized group has yet mounted a significant drive to stop the maintenance or insist that the maintenance must pay for itself.

San Francisco, curiously, is also been the scene of another controversy over pet cemeteries and pet headstones. A large private pet cemetery that houses the remains of over 16,000 pets has recently notified more than 1,000 of the families who have pets buried there that their pets graves must be moved. The graves are on land that the cemetery was apparently simply leasing, and the land-owner now has other plans for the property. The situation has sparked outrage among families across the city who say they were never told that their pets were resting on leased land and that there was a possibility they would end up being relocated. Many of the families say they have installed very special pet headstones on the property and moving those pieces will be impossible or impractical.

So, pet cemeteries, while beautiful and interesting places to visit, have an interesting – and at times even controversial history. That’s something to think about as you are considering a pet headstone for you own beloved, cherished friend.

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