Pet Cemetery Stories

My name is Julianne, and I have a fascination with pet cemeteries.  I love the outpouring of emotion on the inscriptions, evoking palpable sorrow and devotion between humans and their animal companions.  Pet cemeteries are peaceful places where one can contemplate the joy that animals bring into our lives as well as the sadness of loss.

I also have a fascination with stories and the research it takes to bring them back from obscurity.  Often there’s enough information on the gravestone to investigate further.  There are stories behind the gravestones and when I root out a good one, I just have to share it with the world.

Most of the stories come from Aspin Hill Memorial Park, which is run by the Montgomery County Humane Society.  Aspin Hill Cemetery for Pet Animals, as it was originally known, opened in 1920.  It is one of the oldest pet cemeteries in the country (Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in New York is the oldest; two in the Boston area date back to 1907 and 1917) and one of the largest as well.  By researching the history of Aspin Hill and posting my findings here, I hope to bring to light the remarkable social and cultural role it has played in the greater Washington, D.C. region.

If you have a story to share about a pet buried in one of these cemeteries, please feel free to contact me.