c.2024, Thames & Hudson, $35.00, 256 pages
Someone must’ve really loved that little soul. His tiny gravestone proves it: The grief feels almost as fresh as the day he died, though he’s been gone for nearly a century. Someone cared for him in life and in death and, standing by his tablet of marble, you understand. As in the new book, “Faithful Unto Death” by Paul Koudounaris, you’d do the same for your beloved pet.
In 1881, a little Maltese dog died, leaving behind two children who loved him. After his death, the kids begged the gatekeeper at a nearby park to bury their dog’s remains in the garden behind the gatekeeper’s cottage. He did – creating “the first urban cemetery for pets.”
Memorializing a beloved animal was nothing new, though it was rare before the mid-19th century and often derided. As the Industrial Age brought animal companions into more homes, though, close bonds resulted; many people started thinking of their pet as a family member, so wanting to memorialize Fluffy or Fido was the next natural step.
Still, before the formal setting-aside of land, doing so was difficult and some pet owners took matters into their own hands, attempting to sneak animal remains into human cemeteries.
That caused even more outcry. Here and there around the world, forward- thinking people saw a need for a dedicated place to bury the furriest family members – although at first, most mourners were people of means, who used their money to memorialize their loved ones in style. Some pet cemeteries were for-profit, and charged a nominal fee. Industries sprung up to cater to the wealthy, and they included home pickup, fancy caskets, funerals and even funeral cards for the deceased.
To “the unenlightened,” the mourned creatures might’ve been “only a dog” or “only a cat,” Koudounaris says, “…but those who had loved such animals knew their true value.”
You’ll never forget your Best Dog or Cat Ever, no matter how long it’s been since they lived. In “Faithful Unto Death,” you’ll read about like-minded folks, as well as memorials to moggies, a gravestone for a goose, plots for pachyderms and so much dedication to dogs.
If you’re someone who enjoys cemetery tours, this is one of the most unique ones you’ll ever take. Here, the homemade gravestones, crude wooden crosses and soaring granite monuments for the fur, finned and feathered are accompanied by stories, as author Paul Koudounaris shares tales of pet cemeteries over the last century or two.
These are stories that may make you mourn: Koudounaris explains why, despite the devotion such places hold, pet cemeteries are dwindling and even being dismantled. Along the way, you’ll read epitaphs, you’ll learn where The Rainbow Bridge began and which state has the largest pet cemeteries, and you’ll laugh sometimes.
Readers who’ve ever loved a pet will recognize the tearfully ironic poignancy in that.
Perfect for lovers of unique books and readers of unusual history, those with a streak of the macabre will also enjoy “Faithful Unto Death.” And, of course, it’ll touch any animal lover’s soul.
— The Bookworm Sez
