Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, also known as Hartsdale Canine Cemetery, is a historic pet cemetery located at Hartsdale, Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1896, and contains over 70,000 interments, with 14,000 interment lots and 7,000 memorials. Contributing resources include the groundskeeper's cottage, a house, a public memorial to the dogs of war, a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

, and manmade and natural topographical attributes. It is America's largest and oldest pet cemetery. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

History

In 1896, Dr. Samuel Johnson, a veterinarian in New York City, offered his apple orchard in Hartsdale as the gravesite for a grieving client, whose dog had died, as animal burials were not permitted in the city. After recounting the story to a friend who was a journalist over lunch, a news article was published in 1898 and later was picked up by '' The New York Times'' on September 3, 1905. In the wake of the ensuing publicity, Dr. Johnson received hundreds of requests for pet burials and set aside more of his land until the Hartsdale Canine Cemetery was incorporated on May 14, 1914. The War Dog Memorial was erected in 1923, featuring a bronze statue of a German Shepherd dog, wearing a blanket with a Red Cross Insignia. It commemorates "man's most faithful friend for the valiant services rendered in the World War, 1914–1918" and a ceremony is held annually in June to honor service dogs.

Notable interments

Ming of Harlem Ming was a tiger that became notable when he was found living in an apartment in Harlem, New York City, United States, in October 2003. Ming, approximately three years old at the time of his capture, lived semi-openly with his owner, Antoine Yate ...

Gallery

File:Hartsdale Canine Cemetery October 2012.jpg, Hartsdale Canine Cemetery, October 2012 File:Ming, Tiger of Harlem.jpg , Resting place of Ming

References

External links

* Official websites Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Westchester County, New York 1896 establishments in New York (state) Cemeteries in Westchester County, New York Animal cemeteries {{WestchesterCountyNY-NRHP-stub