The Memorial Pet Cemetery, the oldest pet cemetery in the Twin Cities, is the final resting place for more than 7,000 companion animals.

The cemetery was established in 1920 when Ida Fabyanske's great-grandfather sold a few acres of his homestead farm to a veterinarian named Dr. Feist. An area of land was split off of Feist's acreage to be used as a new pet cemetery. Ernest Eide was hired as the first part-time caretaker. Ernest later passed the responsibility to Ida's husband, Ken Fabyanske. In 1982 the care-taking was passed to their son-in-law, Jim Westby.

The cemetery had always been privately owned and was known as the Feist Pet Cemetery until it was donated to the Ramsey County Animal Humane Society in the latter 1980s. The name was changed to the Memorial Pet Cemetery and is one of two pet cemeteries in the Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN area. (The other one is the Animal Inn Pet Cemetery, 8633 34th Street No, Lake Elmo, MN 55042-8408.)

Folklore includes the tale of human ashes buried somewhere on the premises. Ida says her husband got a call from a woman in Duluth who wanted to know if it would be OK for her ashes to be placed in the plot with her pet dog. Ida's husband asked around and found that burying a person's ashes would be permissible as long as health regulations were followed. Ken retired a short time after the initial inquiry and Ida said she never heard what eventually transpired, except for a phone call from an irate husband in Duluth.

The cemetery is open for quiet reflection and ceremonies. A nondenominational animal blessing is held each September at the cemetery to honor all pets living, and to honor those pets that have passed. Companion animals and their owners are invited to take part in the ceremony which is free and open to the public.

Due to space constraints, the cemetery no longer offers new burials.

Location: 694 Cope Avenue, Roseville, MN, about one block west and north of the intersection of Highway 36 and Dale St.

1999 NOTE: For more information about the Memorial Pet Cemetery, please contact Pete Sorenson at (651) 788-4607.

2010 NOTE: I am following up on the Dr. Feist who established this pet cemetery. Preliminary research indicates this was Dr. Arnold A Feist, born 4-Apr-1892 in MN, and died 26-Dec-1956 in Ramsey Cty, MN. His mother's maiden surname was KAPHINGST. This information comes from the MN Death Index database, certificate # 1956-MN-029639. His burial location is unknown at this time (1-Aug-2010).

2016 NOTE: It appears Dr Feist was buried in the Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery near St Anthony, Minneapolis, MN.

The VCA Feist Animal Hospital was established in 1911 and remains in operation today in St. Paul, MN. This information from the VCA Feist Animal Hospital website: