The Presidio Pet Cemetery

Presidio
McDowell and Crissy Field Avenues

This military pet cemetery is a hidden treasure of San Francisco.  If you are in the area when construction of Doyle Drive is completed, have a stroll, it is a really sweet place to wander.

Surrounded by a white picket fence and shaded by Monterey pines, the pet cemetery is the final resting place for hundreds of loyal animals owned by families stationed at the Presidio. Most of the grave markers mimic those found in military cemeteries and sometimes reflect the pets’ military lifestyle—listing birthplaces including China, England, Australia, and Germany. Many markers also include family names and owners’ ranks, which include majors, colonels, and generals. Others contain only a simple epitaph, such as “A GI pet. He did his time.” As in many military cemeteries, there are also markers to several “unknowns”.

Grave markers in the pet cemetery date back to the 1950’s, when the Presidio was home to approximately 2,000 army families. Though there are no official records regarding the site, some credit authorization of the pet cemetery to Lt. General Joseph M. Swing, who was the commander of the Presidio at the time. In any case, there are numerous legends surrounding the cemetery, which some believe was originally a burial ground for nineteenth-century cavalry horses or World War II guard dogs

During the 1970’s, the pet cemetery fell into disrepair. Legend has it that an anonymous former Navy man became the unofficial caretaker in those years and repaired the deteriorating headstones and repainted the fence. It is believed that he placed the military-style cautionary sign seen at the cemetery entrance. Today, the pet cemetery is officially closed to new interments.

Doyle Drive is the multilane elevated freeway that rises above the former Presidio Army Base to shuttle motorists from the streets of the city to the foot of the bridge. Built in the 1930s, at the same time as the Golden Gate Bridge, Doyle Drive is now a seismic hazard, so it is being completely rebuilt. But the new construction intersects with the pet cemetery so, to preserve the site, the cemetery has been fenced off.  A sign placed at the entrance says that the “Presidio Parkway project is taking special care to protect the beloved pet cemetery, which has been designated an environmentally sensitive area and is maintained as an important cultural landmark.  The pet cemetery is situated directly below the new, southbound bridge currently under construction.  In order to protect graves like those of Willie the hamster and Buddy the bird, falsework (temporary structure used to build the new bridge) has been installed to span the entire length of the cemetery to support the long span span, 105-foot-long beams were placed across the cemetery and covered to prevent any debris from entering.”  Sadly, a lot of damage was done by the construction before these steps were taken, I do hope when the project is over, attention will be paid to restoring this little hidden treasure of San Francisco history for all to enjoy.