Here’s a video from a great series called “Five Minute Histories” from Baltimore Heritage. This one is about the Oakleigh Pet Cemetery in Parkville, Maryland (Baltimore County). They talk about the history of pet cemeteries and briefly mention Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery. I hope you enjoy this video and also explore the other videos in the series.
Category Archives: Pet Cemeteries
Faithful Unto Death: new book on pet cemeteries
In May 2023, I had the pleasure to meet Paul Koudounaris, an author and photographer with a Ph.D. in Art History. He’s the author of the recent book, Faithful Unto Death: Pet cemeteries, animal graves, and eternal devotion. For years, he’s researched cemeteries and death traditions. He is also a cat lover, having published a book, A Cat’s Tale: A Journey Through Feline History, in which his cat, Baba, gives a history of the world from a feline perspective.
In his latest book, he turns his attention to pets, pet owners, and the kind of devotion that motivates the existence of pet cemeteries. Koudounaris visited the Aspin Hill Memorial Park, and commentary and photos from the cemetery are included in this beautifully written and illustrated book. There’s a review of his book on the BBC website, which gets to the heart of his work better than I could. Here’s a link to the article.
Shep the dog to a WW2 pigeon: Eight strange and poignant images of pet cemeteries BBC.com, September 22, 2024.
The Rainbow Bridge
“The Rainbow Bridge” is a sentimental reflection on the loss of a pet and the hope of reunification after death. For decades, it has circulated without attribution among animal lovers. In this blog post, uncovers the identity of the person who wrote “The Rainbow Bridge.” Grab a hanky and read:
The story was also picked up by National Geographic. (The article requires a free online membership to read)
The ‘Rainbow Bridge’ has comforted millions of pet parents. Who wrote it?
Kudos to for his tenacity and research skills in revealing the true origin of The Rainbow Bridge.
Pet Cemetery at the National Arboretum
![Dog cemetery. ca. 1916-1917. National Photo Company Collection. Library of Congress Call Number: LC-F82- 1694 [P&P]](https://petcemeterystories.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/19170000NatPhotoCoColl-32610u.jpg)
In an earlier post about Dr. Buckingham, I mentioned looking for this pet cemetery in 2020, without success. On February 23, 2021, I searched again, accompanied by an architectural historian and an archaeologist who had additional information about where the cemetery might be. This time, we had better luck. I found the site of the pet cemetery, but alas there is nothing left but two old gate posts.
Dr. Buckingham picked a lovely spot for his pet cemetery. It’s on the side of a hill overlooking (in the distance) Kingman Lake and the northern section of Kingman Island. Farther out, you can see the Anacostia River.
Perhaps there are still dogs and cats buried there, but there were no visible grave markers. Any further investigation of the site would probably require the approval of the Federal government, something I’m not inclined to pursue. It’s probably better to let it return to nature. Still, I’m glad I got to see it, and its beautiful vantage point.
Dr. Buckingham’s Pet Cemeteries
While studying the burial registers for Aspin Hill Memorial Park, I noticed an entry with the notation “removed from Dr. Buckingham’s cemetery.” This was written in the space usually reserved for the name of the veterinarian who brought the animal to the cemetery. Who was Dr. Buckingham, and where was his cemetery? Continue reading Dr. Buckingham’s Pet Cemeteries