America’s first pet cemetery - established 1896
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Ranked Top 10 Cemetery in the World by Lonely Planet Travel Guides (2009) America’s first pet cemetery was established in 1896 by a New York City Veterinarian, who offered an apple orchard at his bucolic summer retreat in nearby Westchester County to serve as a burial plot for a bereaved friend’s dog
. Today the beautiful hillside location known as “The Peaceable Kingdom” is the final resting place for more than 80,000 pets of every description, including all manner dogs and cats as well as a number of more exotic pets, including a lion cub who lived at the Plaza Hotel. The plot-holders have included some of America’s most prominent financial and political figures, musicians, artists, celebrities of stage, screen and television. Some of the more unique treasures at Hartsdale include a fifty ton above-ground mausoleum for two spaniels, the first and largest of its kind, and the famous War Dog Memorial, which was dedicated after World War I and is the first public tribute to honor military canines for their bravery and sacrifice.
