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Texas Graveyards: Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery in Azle

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Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery in Azle, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery in Azle, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Texas is full of historic graveyards and I love exploring them. I rarely visit modern cemeteries, unless there is someone famous buried there or a particularly unique headstone to check out. For the most part, newer graveyards lack the history, the beautiful old trees, and the finely crafted headstones and monuments of the older ones.

Yesterday, however, I checked out a graveyard that has only been around since 1982. What made me curious about Smoke Rise Farm (11330 Mountain View Drive, Azle, Texas 76020) is that it’s a pet cemetery. I’d never seen an official animal graveyard before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery in Azle, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery in Azle, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

For one thing, when I hear the phrase, “pet cemetery,” Stephen King’s creepy novel is the first thing to pop into my head. For another, Azle, Texas is such a small town that I worried its pet cemetery would be little more than someone’s backyard dotted with St. Francis of Assisi statues. My suspicions deepened as the GPS announced, “You have reached your destination,” since at that moment, we were surrounded by homes in a modest neighborhood. We decided to keep driving, however, and soon spotted a graveyard on our left. (One thing I’ve learned is that Texas cemeteries can be hard to find and that it pays to be stubborn when tracking them down!)

Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery in Azle, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery in Azle, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery is quite an operation. At five acres, it’s much larger than I expected. Like any other cemetery, it’s dotted with headstones and bouquets in a tranquil setting. The well-groomed grounds even feature a gazebo.

Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery in Azle, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery in Azle, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

The main differences between Smoke Rise Farm and a cemetery for humans is the types of names you see on the headstones as well as the statuary. Where else are you going to see graves labeled: Doogie Bowser, Fifi La Fluff Nstuff or Puffy Buzzard? From what I could tell, the most popular pet name here in north Texas seems to be, “Muffin.”  Also, as expected, there were plenty of St. Francis of Assisi statues, but I also saw statues of poodles, dachshunds, cats, ferrets and even a gorilla.

Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery in Azle, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery in Azle, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Another big difference between a pet cemetery and a human one is that the lifespans indicated on the graves is much shorter. The longest lifespan we saw at this pet cemetery was on the grave of a horse, which lived to a hearty 30 years of age.

Even though I snickered at some of the names on the graves, I truly enjoyed my visit to Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery. It’s a peaceful, park-like space, and a touching tribute to humans’ love for their animal companions.

 

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Tui Snider
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Tui Snider

Tui Snider is an author, speaker, and photographer who specializes in North Texas travel, cemetery symbols, and haunted lore. As she puts it, “I used to write fiction – but then, I moved to Texas!”

Snider’s best-selling books include Paranormal Texas , Understanding Cemetery Symbols, and 100 Things to Do in Dallas - Fort Worth Before You Die.

Snider has several more books in progress, and enjoys connecting with writers and readers all over the globe through social media, her newsletter and her website: TuiSnider.com.

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Filed Under: Historic Cemeteries Tagged With: author, cemetery, day trips, DFW, grave, graveyards, history, instagr.am, instagram, iPhone, memoir, photo essay, photographer, photography, Texas, travel writer, Tui Snider, writer

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Comments

  1. (@mentalmosaic) (@mentalmosaic) says

    07/03/2012 at 12:49

    Photo Essay: Smoke Rise Farm Pet Cemetery http://t.co/j8sTI9XN #Texas #Graveyards #ttot

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth McClung says

    06/27/2012 at 18:25

    I love all cemeteries, particularly those with messages written for eternity. That looks to be a particularly unique and interesting place to visit. Lovely pictures, thanks. Not bad for only 33 years. I have finally found the Victorian Jewish cemetery hidden in my city, your post encourages me to seek it out this weekend.

    Reply
    • mentalmosaic says

      06/28/2012 at 07:06

      Hi Elizabeth,

      A Victorian Jewish cemetery, eh? Wish I could check it out with you. I explored a really lovely Victorian cemetery in London last fall. I’ll drop by your blog and give you the link. It was gorgeous.

      Thanks for visiting!
      Tui

      Reply
  3. heekiat (@heekiat) says

    06/12/2012 at 09:05

    #Texas Pet Cemetery – photo essay http://t.co/40SERQyw #ttot #travel

    Reply

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