pet cemetery
A pet cemetery is a cemetery for pets.
History
Many human cultures buried animal remains. For example, the Ancient Egyptians mummified and buried cats, which they considered deities, and the largest known dog cemetery in the ancient wo ...
located in Elkridge, Maryland, USA. The cemetery was established in 1935, and was actively operated until 2002. Approximately 8,000 animals and humans are buried in the cemetery's acres, which is large enough to accommodate about 24,000 pets.
The cemetery is named for Rosa Bonheur (1822–1899), a French painter and sculptor noted for her paintings of animals.
The Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park made national headlines in 1979 when it became the first pet cemetery in the world to allow humans to be buried alongside their pets. There are at least 28 humans, and perhaps as many as 100, buried at the cemetery. A tomb of unknown pets was established in 1991.
In 1978 the Cemetery was inherited by land developer William Anthony Green. In 1997, the owner William Anthony Green was charged for charging owners for non delivered headstones, misdelivery and abuse of remains with Commercial and Farmers Bank of Ellicott City foreclosing. By 2006, the cemetery was no longer accepting pet or human burials. The grounds of the Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park are currently being maintained by local volunteers.Rosa Bonheur Society /ref> In 2013 former Howard County Planning and Zoning director Joseph W. Rutter and Donald R. Reuwer Jr proposed redeveloping 6 acres of the cemetery for a 21acre total mixed use development of commercial buildings and residential construction, moving pet graves as needed. The properties were approved to be combined for higher density development during the comprehensive zoning process of 2013.
Noted animals buried at Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park include:
*Gypsy Queen. In 1925, World War I veteran Frank Heath and his
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
Gypsy Queen began a journey across the United States, with the goal of visiting all 48 states. They completed the trip more than two years later, returning to their starting point in Washington, D.C. in 1927. In all, the pair covered 11,356 miles, making it the longest trail ever covered by one horse under saddle. Gypsy Queen died in 1936, and a bronze tablet was erected in her honor at the Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park in 1938. Gypsy Queen also has a burial plot at the cemetery.
*Mary Ann. Mary Ann was the first
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
at the
Baltimore Zoo
The Maryland Zoo — also known as The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore and formerly known as The Baltimore City Zoo or the Baltimore Zoo — is a 135-acre park located in historic Druid Hill Park in the northwestern area of the City of Baltimore, Mary ...
. She was brought to
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
from India in 1922, and was especially popular with children. Mary Ann died in 1942 after falling over in her sleep and injuring her spine. She was buried at the cemetery after her death.
*Corporal Rex Ahlbin. Rex Ahlbin was a combat dog who served with the US Marine Corps during World War II. Rex served with the US 3rd Marine Division during the
Battle of Empress Augusta Bay
The Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, on 1–2 November 1943 – also known as the Battle of Gazelle Bay, Operation Cherry Blossom, and in Japanese sources as the Sea Battle off Bougainville Island (ブーゲンビル島沖海戦) – was a naval ba ...
at
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island (Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. It was previously the main landmass in the German Empire-associated North Solomons. Its land area is ...
in 1943. Rex, a two-year-old
Doberman
The Dobermann (; ), or Doberman Pinscher in the United States and Canada, is a medium-large breed of domestic dog that was originally developed around 1890 by Louis Dobermann, a tax collector from Germany.Japanese soldiers near a Marine position, enabling Marines to fend off a later attack. Rex also served with the Marine Corps during the
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in th ...
and at the Battle of Tinian. For his service, Rex was promoted to the rank of corporal by the Marine Corps in 1944. Rex is buried near the center of the cemetery, with a marker noting his service to his country.
*Washington Bullets mascots. Several mascots for the Washington Bullets
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team are buried at the cemetery: "Tiny BB" (1966–1987), Alex "The Bullet" (1957–1975), and "Buckshot" (1964–1967).
*Little Van Atta (1947–1955), an
underground
Underground most commonly refers to:
* Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth
Underground may also refer to:
Places
* The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston
* The Underground (S ...
courier dog born in France, who is said to have brought the news of
D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
to her native city with a message hidden in her collar.
*Pretty Boy Boyer (1954–1956), a parakeet with a vocabulary of 1000 words. His headstone is inscribed "Bye, Bye, Mommy, see you later", which is what he always said when his owner left the room."Pet Cemetery Features Trees and Brook", ''The Frederick News'', October 11, 1965.
*Carlo (1939–1966), a dog. At age 27, he was, according to his burial marker, "one of the oldest authenticated dogs in the country".
*Gretchen (1939–1950), a
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
who saved the lives of her owner and the owner's father by waking them up during the night when a fire broke out in their home.
*Moses Gigrandy (1929–1942), a
monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
seeing-eye dog
Guide dogs (colloquially known in the US as seeing-eye dogs) are assistance dogs trained to lead blindness, blind or Visual impairment, visually impaired people around obstacles. Although dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, the ...
to a veteran blinded at the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
in World War II.
*Sylvester, a
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
who slept on his young polio-stricken master's bed for three years and was trained to play certain games. Shortly after the boy died, Sylvester passed on and was buried at Bonheur.
*Wiggles, a 29-year-old champion horse.
*Lizzy, a
monitor lizard
Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recogn ...
born in Africa.
*Amanda, a
guinea pig
The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'' in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the word ''cavy'' to describe the ani ...
.
*Buster Ward (1967–1979), a pigeon that flew into a moving mail truck.
* Bently the Pig (2012–2014), a micro-mini pig named for the child from MTV's teen mom, that traveled from Florida to Maryland on a plane. He caused a fire in the garage.
* Juan Carlos, a dog with personality.
*Also reported to be buried at Bonheur: a
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
,
squirrel
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
s, and white
mice
A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...
."Together Forever: Cemetery to Bury Owners Beside Pets", ''The Washington Post'', December 7, 1978.