Aug 29 2009
Can military dogs be buried at Arlington?
With all the press coverage of Ted Kennedy’s funeral, Arlington National Cemetery has been in the news as well. Arlington is well known as a cemetery for military and political people. I have been noticing that some people have been questioning if war dogs or animals that have been known to serve in wars and become heroes because of their efforts can be buried there.
The answer unfortunately is no. Animals are not allowed to be buried at Arlington. Even ship mascots were denied burial when their ship was attacked and sunk. There are of course other special military burial grounds just for war dogs. One such place is the Fort MacArthur dog burial ground in San Pedro, California. The burial ground just underwent extensive remodeling in June 2009. Other war dogs and animals that serve the USA in official capacity are buried in local pet cemeteries all over the USA. Often when they are buried they have a full military funeral.
