In 1896, a prominent New York City Veterinarian, Dr. Samuel Johnson, offered his apple orchard in then-rural Hartsdale, New York, to serve as a burial plot for a bereaved friend's dog. That single compassionate act served as the cornerstone for what was to become America's first and most prestigious pet cemetery. Today, over a century later, this beautiful hillside location is the final resting place for nearly 70,000 pets continuing a long history of caring and excellence that is the hallmark of this serene and lovely pet burial ground.

Hartsdale, a hamlet in the town of Greenburgh, NY, lies on the Bronx River just 20 miles north of New York City. It is served by the Metro North Harlem River commuter rail line into Grand Central Station. Hartsdale is the home of America's first Canine/Pet Cemetery (started by veterinarian Samuel Johnson in 1896), and the world's first Carvel Ice Cream store (1934). Hartsdale's earliest settlers were the Weekquaeskeeks, a sub-tribe of the Algonquin Indians. Weekquaeskeek is an Algonquin term believed to mean "place of the bark kettle", and this kettle appears in the Greenburgh town seal today. After the American colonialists won the Revolutionary War, Frederick Philipse fled, his land was confiscated and sold to the remaining farming tenants, many of whom were descendants of the Hart family. The intersection of Central Park Avenue and Hartsdale Avenue was named "Hart's Corners" after John Hart, one of these farmers, and in the mid 1800s the entire area became known as "Hartsdale".

The town can generally be subdivided into several different areas including the "Village" or downtown part (East Hartsdale Avenue), Manor Park, Windsor Park, Poet's Corners, Ridge Road, Orchard Hill, College Corners, or more specifically one of the several condominium developments built since the 1970s. Over the years, the town has attracted many different ethnic groups, and the downtown village has a significant Japanese population with Japanese shops, restaurants, real-estate brokers, and even a supermarket all within walking distance of East Hartsdale Avenue.