Presidio Pet Cemetery San Francisco

Military pets live on

Brooke from San Francisco

"TIme has almost forgotten the "Presidio Pet Cemetery" in San Francisco, with pet hedge stones & names from when this was an active Army base..."

I never was one to visit any type of cemetery, as it has a sad connotation and makes one think of what they no longer have. However, I had a change of opinion when I discovered that there was a pet cemetery in The Presidio. I had always heard about it. It almost seemed like you had to just “know” where it was.

I was pleasantly surprised to find it tucked directly under the freeway approach to the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s about a ½ acre and has countless pet hedge stones inside. The cemetery is enclosed by a weathered white picket fence. Something out of a movie, really. It’s like time has forgotten about this little cemetery plot. Upon inspecting each aged marker, I found the many playful names of the animals who belonged to various military officials who lived in the Presidio while it was an active Army base. Names like Smoochy, Cleo, Tabby, Champagne, and countless others. The names really made you feel a sense of family and what these pets must have offered their hardworking owners. I can only imagine that the companionship of these pets made life a little easier for these often nomadic military families. It was touching to sense while walking around.

I could even sense my imagination hearing the spirit sounds of cats meowing, dogs barking, and a macaw cawing, as if to say, “thank you for visiting us.” Please go visit this eclectic piece of Presidio history.

Art & culture

Relaxing

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San Francisco Spotter Brooke

About me Hello there! I work for a non-profit that supports the Golden Gate National Parks. In this role, I often come across visitors and love to encourage them to explore, not only parts of San Francisco, but our well-known park sites that offer so much beauty and history as well! I love engaging with visitors and locals, seeing what interests them. You can learn a lot about people and I’ve met so many interesting characters over the years. I was a former film student many moons ago. And while that didn’t pan out, I naturally found photography as my go-to creative outlet. It pleases me...

About this spot

McDowell Ave

US$

free

Website

4155615300

Nov 1, 2025

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