New York pet owners have come together this holiday season to pay heartfelt and sometimes hilarious tributes to their deceased dogs, cats and turtles.
An 18-foot-tall evergreen tree in Central Park's Ramble has been transformed into a pet monument, covered in photos and messages.
According to TheFureverTree.coma website dedicated to the commemoration, the tradition has been around for 40 years and runs from Thanksgiving to Epiphany.
Nearly all photos are laminated to protect them from the elements and the dates printed on most photos, which mark an animal's lifespan, indicate that some photos have been on the tree for decades.
An 18-foot-tall evergreen tree in Central Park's Ramble has been turned into a pet monument, covered in photos and messages
Nearly all of the photos are laminated to protect them from the elements, and the dates written on most photos that mark an animal's lifespan indicate that some photos have been on the tree for decades.
In a hilarious but tear-jerking tribute, the pet was thanked with a 'bum load', accompanied by a drawing of a dog's bum
The website describes the tree for “animal lovers looking for a place to heal, a place to honor, bless and celebrate all the creatures great and small who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge.”
One hilarious but tear-jerking tribute thanked the pet with a 'bum load' accompanied by a drawing of a dog's bum, while another for a cat called 'Monkey' simply said how much she was missed.
Some owners just put up pictures of their pets instead of writing messages.
One tribute read: 'The Al Dente Brothers Forever – Luigi, Primo, Carmine'.
Tributes to dogs named “Beyoncé” and “Birkin” also hung on the tree.
For a cat named 'Monkey', her tribute said how much she was missed
Some owners just put up pictures of their pets instead of writing messages
One tribute read: 'The Al Dente Brothers Forever – Luigi, Primo, Carmine'
Tributes to dogs named “Beyoncé” and “Birkin” also hung on the tree
New Yorkers Becca and Gary Schader told DailyMail.com that their Coton De Tulear, 'Lola', lived for 16 years and died this year. Lola loved Central Park and Becca wanted to hang her picture to immortalize her.
She said: “Many people don't realize how much these pets are part of our families. They really touch our lives and the fact that there is a place for people to come to, it's secret and no one knows where it is unless you put all the clues together, you have to work to find it so that makes it even more special.
“The fact that there is someone who dedicates his life to no celebrity, no money, nothing, who takes these jewelry away every year, cleans it up, fixes it if it's torn and throws it away again the next year, it's like your dog will never forget and that means a lot.'
They also left a photo for a friend in Los Angeles who had seen the tree in the news and asked her to leave an ornament in Augie's 15-year memory.
Becca Schader told DailyMail.com: 'It's like your dog will never be forgotten and that means a lot'
The tributes aren't just limited to dogs and cats, as there were also pictures of turtles, specifically one named 'Tuck', hanging on the tree
A painful tribute read: 'For Pebbles and Chester, you were the perfect couple. There was never one without the other. You both grew up together and have been through everything together over the years and ultimately you got to be together in heaven. The houses are empty and our hearts are empty. We love and miss you'
Marianne Larsen said even people who have left New York stop by during the holidays to visit the memorials they have erected
The tributes aren't just limited to dogs and cats, as there were also pictures of turtles, specifically one named 'Tuck', hanging on the tree.
A painful tribute read: 'For Pebbles and Chester, you were the perfect couple. There was never one without the other. You both grew up together and have been through everything together over the years and ultimately you got to be together in heaven. The houses are empty and our hearts are empty. We love and miss you.'
Marianne Larsen, the tree's current caretaker, who took over Mr Reddock's role about five years ago after walking became too difficult for him, told the New York Times the pandemic was “the big instigator” that led to a recent flood of photos.
“We added 200 photos in 2020,” she said. “In '21 it was another 200, and '22 is another 200. So now we're past 600, and I think after today we might get to at least 750.”
Larsen said even people who have left New York stop by during the holidays to visit the memorials they have installed.
The Ramble, one of Central Park's three forest landscapes, spans 36 acres in the center of the park between 73rd and 79th Streets, according to the Central Park Conservancy.
