A Parisian Pet Cemetery
There was a sweet
feeling about the place as well as some melancholy. I think I would
have felt the same if it had been a cemetery for children. To the
owners of these pets, their animals were their children and we came
upon graves with tiny miniatures of animals on them or old chew toys.
One dog's grave had a hollow plastic ball full of old tennis balls that
he must have loved to play with. There were photos of the pets and
names like Fifi or Susan. One grave had written on it: "I have been
mistreated by other people, but never by Gaston, my friend, who loved
me unconditionally."
At
the entrance to the cemetery stands a huge sculpture with the carving
of a Saint Bernard carrying a child on its back. The dog represented is
Barry, who saved the lives of 40 people in the Alps before he lost his
own life attempting a rescue for the 41st time. There is also a large
tombstone—with a statue of a German Shepherd Statue on top—that
memorializes all of the police dogs who die in action. The grave for
Rin Tin Tin had me puzzled. The inscription said this dog had been a
star on television, so I assume it is the same dog I used to watch as a
child. I just wonder why he is buried in Paris? Maybe the story is
rather of like Jim Morrison's; Jim had to die in Paris in order to be
buried at Père Lachaise. Rin Tin Tin has always struck me as such a
strange name, too, similar to the name of a French cartoon character.
Not
only dogs and cats are buried here; there are also tombstones for three
horses. I was surprised to see a stone for a rabbit and also one for
Cocotte, a chicken said to have lived for 25 years and to have been a
wonderful companion. This made me smile but I do remember coming home
one day with a baby chick I had won at school. My mother let me keep it
and it slept in a box next to my bed and followed me around like a
puppy. Eventually, we took it to a farm as a chicken can't be
house-trained. I hope Drumstick lived to a ripe old age and died of
natural causes.
My friend and
I are both cat lovers and so we loved seeing the many cats that live
among the tombstones. (They do other things among the tomb stones as I
discovered when I got home and traced a horrible smell to the bottom of
my shoe). Most of them were tame and friendly-looking; one could pet
them or feed them, and they managed to weave their way around our legs
as we wandered around. While we were there, some ladies came and fed
some of them. We overheard one saying her cat had recently died and she
came to the cemetery twice a week to walk around. It brought her
comfort.
Would I recommend
a first-timer to Paris visit this cemetery? Not really, as I think Père
Lachaise and the Montmartre cemeteries should be seen first. But, if
you have been to Paris several times, and you are a pet lover, I think
this would fill the bill for something different. I found it to be a
very pleasant way to spend the afternoon.
Nearby,
we found the restaurant, Le Père Lamotte. It looked very plain on the
outside but served some very great-tasting food. I had a salad, baked
fish, 2 vegetables and a soda for 13€. Additionally, there were also
some interesting shops on the streets selling Middle-Eastern spices,
fabric and housewares.
Le Cimetière Des Chiens
4, pont de Clichy
92600 Asnières-sur-Seine
4, pont de Clichy
92600 Asnières-sur-Seine
Restaurant au Père Lamotte
23, Bd Voltaire
92600 Asnières
23, Bd Voltaire
92600 Asnières
