Small Home Gazette, Fall 2018

Memorial Pet Cemetery

Nothing says “Halloween” like a cemetery. But unlike the traditionally spooky Halloween version, graveyards can also be places of poignant memories. This article, about a pet cemetery in Roseville established during the bungalow era, originally ran in Animal Tracks magazine, published by the Minnesota-based Animal Humane Society (animalhumanesociety.org). It is reprinted here, in shorter form, with permission.

Though pets may now experience an elevated household status, a strong human-animal bond has always existed. A walk through Memorial Pet Cemetery in Roseville, Minnesota, reveals 90 years of relationships with beloved family pets.

Memorial Pet Cemetery traces its history back to the 1920s when a few acres of farmland were sold to a veterinarian named Dr. Arnold Feist, who then split off an area of the land to be used as a new pet cemetery. The cemetery was privately owned until it was donated to Animal Humane Society in the 1980s.

This dog was likely named after the famous German shepherd that starred in 27 Hollywood films—both “silent” and “talkies”—throughout the bungalow era.

Tattered three-ring binders tucked away at Animal Humane Society hold the original typewritten records from the cemetery’s first few decades. The aging and discolored pages divulge the types of breeds most popular during the 1920s and ‘30s. Boston terriers, poodles, bull terriers, Airedales, fox terriers, collies and German shepherds dominate the pages.

The thousands of headstones in Memorial Pet Cemetery illustrate the evolution of pet names that people have chosen for their faithful companions. Names like Teddy, Ginger, Joker, King and Mitzi were listed in the 1920s. And more recently Puddy Tat, Oreo Cookie, Big Foot, Bitsy Buttons, and Sir Marco III from the 1990s.

Many of the tombstones are inscribed with loving epitaphs honoring the deceased pets, with reoccurring words like beloved, protector, loyal, sweet, devoted, companion and best friend. Versions of the message “until we meet again” adorn several of the stones. Some are engraved with images of various breeds while others have actual photographs, which have weathered with time.

Memorial Pet Cemetery offers a unique opportunity for animal lovers to take an historical stroll through several decades of furry companionship in a peaceful setting. Due to space constraints, new burials are no longer offered, but the site is open daily for visitors. Memorial Pet Cemetery is located at 694 Cope Avenue, Roseville, Minnesota, near the intersection of Highway 36 and Dale Street.