Return to the Paris Dog Cemetery . . .

This past Spring I took a trip back to the Paris Dog Cemetery, actually just outside Paris, in the northern suburb of Asnières. I'd been there probably about 15 years ago, but wanted to go see it again, and with a better camera than the first time. (See previous posts on this place by clicking the Paris Dog Cemetery label in the sidebar) It is a touching place for animal lovers (like me). People have really poured all kinds of energy and love into creating monuments for their dear departed companions, often with affectionate twists of humor, sometimes even a little kitsch. Many of the graves have photographs on them to memorialize the sorely missed friend.
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When I saw this terrier sitting in some sort of satchel, I couldn't help wondering if the subject of the photo had perhaps lived a scandalous life of debauchery, deflowering a few too many virgin pooches along his travels, digging up too many flower beds, chewing up a few too many pairs of slippers, and was thus being remembered in this image as going to hell in a handbasket ? And then I said no, I must be mistaken, for he looks far too adorable and distinguished to have lived a degenerate life . . .
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I will try to translate part of the following sign which is posted near the entrance to the Pet Cemetery (exclamation points mine) :
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III : Animals :
Inside the cemetery, dogs must be kept on a short leash. Their masters must beware that the dogs commit no degrading act or pollution. (!)
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The "Free Cats" may circulate freely in the cemetery. The Association for the Defense of the Dog Cemetery assumes the responsibility for the behavior of the cats. (! as if anyone could be responsible for cats' behavior !) Their nourishment is controlled by Interior Regulations elaborated for this purpose and annexed to the present rules.
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It is prohibited to remove birds from their nests. ( ! presumably directed at the "Free Cats ? !)
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All infractions against the current regulations will be duly noted with a summons sent to the competent court. (signed) The Deputy Mayor (end of translation)
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Watch out for those Free Cats (don't you just love that ? sounds sort of like the French Resistance !), and remember, no pollution from your dog on it's leash . . .
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Tipsy's grave marker was colorful with a crescent moon, ladybugs, cupids, and hearts; hopefully Tipsy wasn't a dog dipsomaniac . . .
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And it is not just a canine cemetery, many felines are also interred there . . .
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I apologize for my sometimes irreverent mind, but for this little fellow, I was thinking, gosh, did the sculpteur try to capture the expression on his face just before he got hit by the car that killed him ?
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A tiny Father Christmas decorated one animal's grave. Looked almost as though he'd been lynched by some hateful mob . . . but who would want to lynch Santa Claus for Pete's sake ? No, more like he'd been lashed to the cross to prevent him from wandering off on a cold winter night . . .
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Paris Dog Cemetery ; Chapter 5 . . .

I've been meaning to get back to these photos for some weeks now, after all the encouraging and touching comments that came in with the first four chapters of this series. (see "Paris Dog Cemetery" in "labels" index at right to get just those first four posts)
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So many of us grew up with family pets, dogs, cats, and various other beasts, and we became totally attached to those creatures who brought us comfort and unquestioning friendship even on days when all else in the world may have seemed hard and wrong and cold and senseless.
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How many among you have experienced the pain and loss when such an intimate friend departed to greener pastures ? How many among you remember fondly your four footed friend from times past ? On the outskirts of Paris, in the suburb of Asnières, the Paris Dog Cemetery was founded to create a final resting place for such creatures, where they could sleep peacefully for all eternity by the banks of the Seine. It was Laurie, at Creating Pictures In My Mind who inspired me to go back for another visit there a few weeks ago in April. Here are a few more pictures from that timeless afternoon. . . three fading images, like fading memories . . .
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Paris Dog Cemetery, Asnières, Chapter 5 . . .

Several posts down you will find Chapters 2, 3, 4, and the original post Dog Day Afternoon, all showing photos taken in the Paris Dog (and Cat, Horse, Bird, etc) Cemetery, which is along the Seine River, in Asnières, just outside Paris. As you may recall, this day trip got started thanks to a post on Laurie's blog Creating Pictures In My Mind.
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One of the tombstones had the same name as the dog we had when I was growing up in Pennsylvania, who was a small mixed breed mostly black mutt named Blacky. If you set the dates on this stone back about ten years, they would just about work for our dog. As you can well imagine, this brought back all sorts of memories. . . The entire place is full of touching monuments, nothing is more clear than how much people love their four legged friends. Just don't read Stephen King's "Pet Cemetery" before going there. . .
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There is a small population of cats that live in and around the cemetery, and are cared for by the staff. I saw a number of them stretched out on stones. . . this black cat sleeping on Jaguar's tomb was poetic.
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Paris Dog Cemetery, Asnières, Chapter 4 . . .

And by special request, as I believe in the saying "Ask, and you shall receive", here is a photo of the grave where Rin Tin Tin, the famous four legged movie star is spending eternity . . .
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Paris Dog Cemetery, Asnières, Chapter 3 . . .

First, let me start by thanking the person who acted as a catalyst for this, Laurie at "Creating Pictures In My Mind", as she posted a story about the Paris Dog Cemetery several days ago, and mentioned that it might be closing forever soon... which caused me to go running out the door in a hurry grabbing my camera bag and precious little lunch. Fortunately it seems, according to the people that work there, that there is no danger of it closing any time soon... so, I took my time the rest of the afternoon strolling around in there. It is a lovely quiet place, and as mentioned earlier (see below posts), there are no end of touching memories visible there. Some of the expressions of fondness for far away four legged friends do, however, border on kitsch, as you can see in the three photos here. . .
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Paris Dog Cemetery, Asnières, Chapter 2...

As requested in the comments from a few of you on the below post, and also in several hundred e-mails that arrived today, I cannot do otherwise than try to respond to the demand for more...

So, continuing with the post just below this one, the arch and the column with two sculpted dogs heads are at the entrance to the "Cimetière des Chiens" (Dog Cemetery, although it has all sorts of animals buried in it). I have to admit, as an animal lover from day one, I find this place a source of strong emotions, and everywhere in this cemetery the strong bonds of love and affection between the people these animals belonged to and the animals themselves are plainly visible.
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The inscription here translates as: On 15 May, 1958, a stray dog who came to die at the gates of the cemeterey was buried here. He was the forty thousandth animal to find their final resting place in the dog cemetery at Asnières...
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For the Saint Bernard shown here, the inscription said that he saved 40 people over the years, but died trying to save the 41st. In fact, it says it was the 41st that killed him...

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Dog Day Afternoon . . .

It was thanks to Laurie's blog Creating Pictures In My Mind and her recent post about the Paris Dog Cemetery (Le Cimetière des Chiens) in Asnières, just outside of Paris that I decided on Friday to get up out of this seat in front of the computer and go see some of the real world again. Packing some dried figs, apricots, and dates for lunch and a bottle of iced tea, I set out into the wilds of the northern suburbs of Paris. . . armed only with a camera. In case you are not aware, the northern suburbs of Paris are not much safer than Somalia at present, so yes, you can admire my bravery for embarking on such an expedition without bodyguards or other forms of protection.
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The Dog Cemetery, which is a bit of a misnomer, as it looked to me as though there are just as many cats as there are dogs interred there, as well as a smattering of monkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and other assorted wildlife, is a haven of peace along a bend of the Seine River. I spent a couple of very enchanting hours there reading the inscriptions on stones and photographing some of the more pittoresque among the myriad animal memorial monuments. There are no end of touching testimonials from bereaved owners to their departed companions. One stone bore the message : "Deceived by humans, but never by my dog".
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All sorts of decorations adorned the graves, from austere sculptures, to photographic portraits of the animal, or even material objects to accompany the canine or feline spirit into the underworld or afterlife. One particularly poignant example were the tennis balls in a glass globe shown below here. . . I will be posting more photos from the Dog Cemetery soon, but wanted to get at least this much out tonight.
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