Pet Cemetery
Mercy dogs carried medical supplies in saddle bags to wounded World War I soldiers stranded on the battlefield. They stayed with the soldiers and provided comfort. Mortally wounded soldiers died with a dog by their side. The seven thousand dogs who served in the Great War are commemorated with a Dog Memorial at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery. A bronze German Shepherd statue represents the dogs who went to war. The inscription on the monument proclaims, “DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THE WAR DOG ERECTED BY PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION BY DOG LOVERS TO MAN’S MOST FAITHFUL FRIEND FOR THE VALIANT SERVICES RENDERED IN THE WORLD WAR 1914-1918.” At this cemetery dogs are revered, and humans choose to be cremated and buried with the ashes of their beloved dog.
Our family Shetland Sheepdog rests in the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, but my deceased daughter Alix does not lie with her dog. Instead, she resides in the family plot with her great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. She is forever twenty-five and the only one of her generation dead and buried in the family burial ground.
Have you or a loved one had a faithful dog or other animal provide comfort in an hour of need? Would you or a loved one want to be buried with a pet?
Julie ~ my husband who is a bit of a renegade buried some of our beloved yellow lab Cassidy’s ashes at Christopher’s grave. It felt so right as she hadn’t left my side since his departure and when she joined him, I could both rub my son’s gravestone and place my hands in the grass as if I was rubbing Cassie’s ear for comfort.
What a touching post, Julie. It's almost unbearable to think of animals in war. Their innocence. My great-grandfather had his beloved horse shot and killed from under him in the Boer War. He mourned that animal like a fallen comrade. I'm sure the dogs brought tremendous comfort to men at the front during WWI. How beautiful to see the pet cemetery pictured here.
Your daughter's resting place sounds so peaceful. I hope her place among loved ones helps to ease your grief. 🙏🏼❤️