On a hillside overlooking the Wagner Jewish Community Center and the Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Kathryn Kirk building, near a convergence of the Bonneville Shoreline and Red Butte Skyline Nature trails, stands a headstone to an Irish Wolfhound named Nebby. This marker, adjacent to a tree and a bench, is all that remains of Utah’s first pet cemetery.
Originally a 50-square-foot area fenced in with logs and a gate, this site was informally created in 1942 by prisoners of war at what was then Fort Douglas, and contained eight graves overall. Since the other graves were marked with wood, the stone marker for Nebby (1932-1943) is now the only one of the number that survives.
Pet cemeteries are of ancient origin, but didn’t make their formal American appearance until the late 19th century in the eastern states. For many years here in Utah, private burials—and, sadly, abandonments—in far-flung locations were the common state of things for furry and feathered friends…