美國最古老的寵物墓園：人類與忠實夥伴相伴長眠

Source:
VOA | ALL ABOUT AMERICA
At America’s oldest pet cemetery, humans spend eternity with faithful companions
December 05, 2024 4:25 PM

紐約哈茨代爾寵物墓園（Hartsdale Pet Cemetery）是美國現存最古老的寵物墓園，自1896年以來已安葬逾7萬隻動物。住在紐約的馬克・林登伯格（Mark Lindenberg）將相伴17年的愛貓布茲（Boots）葬於此，而且幾乎每日前來探望。墓園收費方式有一次方案也有年費制度，如果年費不續繳，寵物就會被火化，骨灰撒在這片墓園中。園內除了貓狗以外，也安葬過獅子、老虎、馬與名人寵物，而如今也有約800位人類選擇死後與寵物合葬，延續跨越生死的情感連結。

HARTSDALE, NEW YORK —On most days, Mark Lindenberg either drives by or walks over to visit with Boots, his beloved pet cat who died in August 2020 at the age of 17. The New York man had his black-and-white tuxedo cat buried at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, a picturesque spot with rolling, grassy hills near the main road.

The epitaph on Boots’ tombstone reads, “You taught me how to love and be loved.”Other tombstones are engraved with phrases such as “A truer friend we never had”and “Our beloved queen.”

“Human cemeteries are sad,” Lindenberg says. “This is one of the most cheerful places. When you look at the love that goes behind every plot here — the sayings, the toys, the pinwheels — it's just, I can't think of a better place.”

Hartsdale is America’s oldest working pet cemetery and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. Lindenberg says he paid about $7,000 to bury Boots at Hartsdale. Those costs include the plot, casket, tombstone, burial and site maintenance in perpetuity.

“What have I worked for if I'm not going to do the things that matter most, and this mattered most,” Lindenberg says. “I got instant closure the day I decided I was going to bury her here.”

Pet burials started in Hartsdale in 1896 when veterinarian Samuel Johnson allowed a client to bury her dog in his apple orchard, a hillside spot located about 30 kilometers north of New York City. Since then, about 70,000 animals have been laid to rest in the 2-hectare cemetery. Most of the pets buried at Hartsdale are cats and dogs, but there are a few more exotic animals.

Mark Lindenberg visits the grave of his pet cat, Boots, who is buried at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, located about 30 kilometers outside of New York City.“There's reptiles that are buried here. Mice,” says Edward Martin III, vice president of the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery. “There's a lion cub that was buried here in 1912 by a Russian princess. There's the ashes of Ming, who's a Bengal tiger that was buried here a few years ago. There are some monkeys.”

There’s also Hudson the horse, some birds and singer Mariah Carey’s cat, Clarence. The oldest headstone, dating to 1898, commemorates the life of a dog named Blague.

Martin runs the place alongside his father, Edward Martin Jr., who purchased the cemetery in 1974. The younger Martin is a lawyer and certified public accountant, who eventually opted to help oversee the cemetery, where he once worked as a teenager.

“I've seen what people go through, and they lose their pets, and I feel like I'm in a good position where I can help them,” he says. “And I have helped them, and it makes me want to continue helping them.”

More than 70,000 animals have been buried at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

Between 250 and 300 burials are conducted at Hartsdale each year. The cemetery never runs out of space because not all of the graves are permanent. People can pay a one-time forever maintenance fee of $3,500 or an annual fee of $105. If the annual fee stops being paid, that gravesite is eventually offered for sale.

“The pet in the grave will be removed from that plot so someone else who wants it can pay the maintenance. And the pets are taken out, and they're cremated, and they don't leave the cemetery,” says Martin Jr., Hartsdale’s president. “Their remains are scattered over the cemetery grass.”

A centerpiece at the cemetery is the war dog memorial at the top of a hill. Unveiled in 1923, the monument was originally dedicated to World War I service dogs. But these days, the memorial honors service dogs of all kinds.

The Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, America’s oldest working pet cemetery, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. Although Hartsdale is primarily a resting place for animals, the cremated remains of about 800 humans are buried here with their pets. There’s even a Martin family plot, where the elder Martin plans to eventually be laid to rest with other relatives.

“I have to be buried somewhere. And why would I go to any place other than this?” he says. “My mother and father, and my mother-in-law or father-in-law are buried here, and so, that's a good reason by itself to do it.” Lindenberg also likes the idea. He has already arranged to be cremated and buried alongside Boots when the time comes.

“I'm single. I don't know if I'll ever get married, and I can't think of a better place,” he says. “I lived with my cat every day for almost 17 years. Why stop now?”

In the meantime, Lindenberg, who lives a 10-minute walk away, will continue to visit his old friend almost daily.

Language Notes

tuxedo cat：即賓士貓。tuxedo 為燕尾服，直譯為「燕尾服（花色的）貓」 ⬆
closure：解脫、寬慰。⬆
exotic：奇異的、異國的。 ⬆
headstone：墓碑。 ⬆
certified：有合格證書的、有資格的。 ⬆

Check your comprehension!

Choose the BEST answer to each of the questions below. After you finish, highlight the parentheses to reveal the hidden answers.

1.( B ) In what year did pet burials begin at Hartsdale?
A. 1869
B. 1896
C. 1912
D. 1923

2.( A ) Which of the following is NOT mentioned as being buried at Hartsdale?
A. An elephant
B. A lion cub
C. A Bengal tiger
D. A horse named Hudson

3.( D ) What does the passage suggest about human remains at the cemetery?
A. Human burials are more common than pet burials.
B. Humans cannot be buried at Hartsdale.
C. Only the Martin family can be buried there.
D. About 800 cremated human remains are buried with their pets.