A New Life for Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery

Once caught up in legal battles, facility is regaining respect

By Melissa J. Brachfeld

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Montgomery County Humane Society officials believe the Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery can become more than a final resting place for animals. They want it to be a place of learning.

One year after accepting the deed to the Aspen Hill property, J.C. Crist, president of the humane society, said he is excited about making the cemetery a ‘‘peaceful and tranquil place” for the community.

‘‘We feel like we’ve washed all the dirty laundry and we’re ready to go,” he said. ‘‘I mean, we’ve taken care of hundreds of consumer affairs issues and [tax] liens and battles and now that we feel we have the bulk of it behind us, we can forge ahead with our vision and our plan.”

The pet cemetery, previously run by the Chesapeake Wildlife Sanctuary and its president, Dianne D. Pearce, had been mired in legal battles for years. Neighbors complained the facility was unsightly, patrons complained the organization did not properly care for their animals and the woman who had given the land to an animal rights organization filed a lawsuit, saying the property was not being used as the agreement stipulated.

In April of last year, former Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge DeLawrence Beard ordered Chesapeake and Pearce to surrender control of the pet cemetery to the Montgomery County Humane Society.

According to the memorandum of opinion issued by Beard on April 9, 2007, Pearce, Victor G. Riemer, the wildlife sanctuary’s vice president, and their organization were found to be in breach of a legal agreement that states who can occupy the property and how it can be used.

The lawsuit was brought about by Dorothy M. Shapiro of Potomac, who had donated the 7.79-acre property to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in 1988. The property was conveyed to Pearce and her organization after PETA moved out in 1996.

The Montgomery County Humane Society obtained the deed to the property on May 4, 2007.

Since then, Crist said, 23 tons of debris has been removed from the property. The humane society has also held at least one pet burial a week since January, he added.

Grass, trees and blossoming plants fill the tranquil property, nestled between Georgia Avenue, Aspen Hill Road and Wendy Lane.

Winding his way through the headstones on a recent tour of the cemetery, Crist said Aspin Hill is the second oldest pet cemetery in the United States; the oldest is located in New York.

According to historic documents, Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery — one of its previous owners named it after a kennel in England, hence the ‘‘I” in the spelling — was established in 1921 and serves as the final resting place for seven dogs that once belonged to former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover; Jiggs, the dog from the ‘‘Our Gang” movie series, and Rags, the mascot of the U.S. Army’s First Division who crossed ‘‘enemy lines” to deliver a note to the Allied Forces in World War I.

Former President Lyndon B. Johnson also had his pet dogs Him and Her cremated at Aspin Hill before being flown to Texas for burial.

Three buildings — a house, a chapel and a small barn — occupy the property. Crist said he is working with DNC Architects of Rockville to preserve the structures.

‘‘The chapel in the center we don’t know if we can save, but we’re going to see what we can do,” he said. ‘‘But any additional buildings we create will be modeled after the historic building that’s there now.”

Crist said the humane society works with a number of animal rescue groups and would like them to be able to use the barn for their activities.

He added he would also like to invite school children and scout troops to the cemetery to work with dogs and other small animals for ‘‘compassion and kindness training,” which would teach them how to be more caring towards people and animals.

‘‘It’s been known to reduce bullying in schools,” Crist said.

In terms of bigger projects, he said he would like to erect a memorial for dogs that work with the Montgomery County Police Department, Fire and Rescue Service, Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies, as well as a small ‘‘accredited humane society university,” which would offer classes on animal education and law.

‘‘If we decide to build the university, it’ll mirror the same style as the house — nothing obtrusive,” Crist said.

James Thompson, the 76-year-old caretaker of the cemetery, said he has lived on the property for about 41 years and is glad to see the property being restored.

‘‘At least I know it’s on the safe side from what it was,” he said as he filled bowls of cat food in the barn. ‘‘I’m glad [the humane society] is fixing up the cemetery.”

Members of the Aspen Hill community say they are also pleased with how plans are shaping up.

‘‘In passing the cemetery last week, just at a glance I made note of how much better and cleaner the appearance was,” Alexandra Minckler, president of the Aspen Hill Civic Association, said.

She said she has not had a chance to tour the property, but is ‘‘very happy to know that it’s being repurposed as J.C. Crist had suggested when we met him at one of our civic association meetings.”

Linda Robbins, corresponding secretary of the Aspen Hill Civic Association and an advocate for animals, said she is happy the cemetery is being restored.

‘‘I think it’s wonderful, especially for the people who have pets interred there,” she said. ‘‘They want those grounds to be safe, they want them to be welcoming and respectful of the fact that these were companion animals that meant a lot to them in their lives and still mean a lot to them today.”

United Way/CFC #8330 and Maryland Charity Campaign # 6035