Pets find eternal peace at local cemetery

By Eliav Appelbaum  eliava@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers DEARLY DEPARTED--A pinwheel and flowers adorn the gravesite of one of the many animals buried at Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park in Calabasas. Hopalong Cassidy's trusty horse, Topper, and the Little Rascals' lovable dog, Pete, are among the animals laid to rest there. The cemetery is home to thousands of pet companions. Ellen Newth didn't know what to do with her dog, Spooky.

Spooky was hit and killed by a car in New York City in 1984 and was cremated at the New York Animal Mortuary. Newth flew to California with Spooky's cremains in her purse, but another 12 years went by before she could find a permanent resting place for her beloved pet.

When her next dog, Alfie, died of cancer in 1996, Newth discovered the Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park in Calabasas.

"I was a mess when Spooky died," said Newth, who is now serving her 10th year on the park's board of directors. "When Alfie died, I started asking people, 'Where do I go, I've never buried a pet.' That's how I learned about and got involved with the park."

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers UNIQUE VENUE--The familiar "L.A. Pet Park" sign at top can be seen from the 101 Freeway. The cemetery is an oasis amid the urban sprawl of Calabasas and the West San Fernando Valley. Although National Pet Memorial Day is coming up on Sun., Sept. 9, the pet cemetery isn't planning any special ceremony for the day. After all, "every day is special at the park," Newth said.

Founded in 1928, the cemetery has more than 50,000 pets buried on its 10-acre grounds. The park handles about three to six burials each day, and is the final resting place for a diverse assortment of animals, not just cats and dogs.

There's an African lion buried with a domestic cat. There are spider monkeys, potbellied pigs, snakes, iguanas, horses, rabbits and many birds. There are celebrity pets, like the Hopalong Cassidy horse Topper, and pets that were owned by celebrities, like Rudolph Valentino's dog, Kabar.

After the 1994 Northridge earthquake caused serious external damage--especially to the mausoleum built in 1929--the park raised funds to completely renovate the building, which reopened in 2003.

SERENE--The pet cemetery mausoleum presents a strong inner beauty. What makes the park special is that it is held in perpetuity, which means that the grounds can, by law, only be used for the burial of animals.

"If someone comes up to us, they will have the comfort of knowing that their pet will remain undisturbed forever . . . well, as long as there's a state of California," said Newth, who lives in North Hollywood.

The park was recently featured on the KCET television show "California's Gold," and will be shown throughout September on various PBS affiliate stations.

Continuing to care

Although a place to grieve, the park is also a place to celebrate and admire the ornate and beautiful decorations people set up at their pets' graves.

Felicia Chase Zeff of Woodland Hills buried Maggie May, a miniature black-and-tan dachshund, next to her bunny Maybelline under a cluster of trees. Zeff decorates her plot with wind chimes, pinwheels and artificial silk flowers.

FINAL HOME--Pet remains go in a small casket such as this. Zeff had known about the park for years, but needed its services at an unusual time. On vacation in Hawaii in August 2000, Zeff placed Maggie May in a kennel. She got a call from the kennel that her dog's immune system was failing, her red blood cells dying rapidly. Even with emergency care, it was too late to save Maggie May.

"She passed away while we were gone. The last time I saw her she was alive," Zeff said. "I told my sister to notify the pet cemetery. . . . I was so upset. It was awful. I realize she's not a person, but I treated the dog like a small person.

"They had a visitation room where you can see pets for the last time. That was very serene and calm. It's very touching. If you're not an animal person, people might laugh at the thought of this. But if you're into this, it's very sweet."

For the first two years after Maggie May died, Zeff visited twice a week, hanging elaborate crystal wind chimes from a rod placed atop the grave and planting fresh flowers.

"When people would see her grave, it would stand out. There weren't that many pets in the section yet," said Zeff, who now visits Maggie May and Maybelline about once every two months.

Zeff maintains their plot, shines the grave marker and replaces flowers damaged by the rain or heat. She has bought another two-tiered grave, a space her other dachshunds, Elmer and Robby, will eventually occupy.

"The park (provides) good closure because I can go visit and I know where to find them," Zeff said. "When people are burying a pet, they're pretty upset. If a few are right around me, I would talk to them to make them feel better.

"Or if there are people visiting graves, you start talking and sharing stories about your animal and try to make each other feel better. It's mostly people talking about how wonderful that animal was and what they meant for them."

Business at the park continues to thrive, and Newth estimated there will be adequate space for more pets for the next 20 to 25 years. "We are actively looking into acquiring additional space," Newth said. "We anticipate that it will be somewhere close by our current location."

A park spokesperson said the cost to bury a pet starts at $549 and is based on plot size and type of casket. The price includes everything--casket, plot and maintenance, and can go as high as $1,205. Cremation costs are based on weight--$85 for a pet under 10 pounds; $245 for an animal weighing 151 to 175 pounds.

Pets never let you down

With its grave markers etched in English, German, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Hebrew and other languages, visitors to the memorial park find they have something in common: Their pets are loved and revered.

"People let you down. Let's face it, that's life," Newth said. "We are creatures who make mistakes. We disappoint one another, no matter if it's someone you love like a parent, child, boyfriend or girlfriend. Your pet will never let you down. They'll always love you by purring or a wag of their tail. That's certainly one of the reasons why people are so close to their animals, especially in Los Angeles, which is such a transient community."