Pet Haven Cemetery lies hidden amid the warehouses between Gardena and Carson, where the 405 meets the 110. It was featured in the film Mondo Cane, where there they say it's in Pasadena and that it inspired Evelyn Waugh, though The Loved One must have been written before this particular pet cemetery was founded.

Most of the tombstones were laid in the 1960s, by now having outlasted the loving memories they were meant to memorialize. Though few bear more than a name and date, some a brief inscription, one particular sequence of granite stones along the park's eastern edge catches the eye with its elaborate descriptions of several dogs' astounding spiritual feats. These inscriptions I've transcribed below to the best of my ability; most inconsistencies are present on the stones themselves.

Junma: A Great Dane whose dharma name was Jun Ma was born in January of 2000 in Thailand. He was moved to the west and lived in the United States. He was loyal to the Four Jewels, and earned high merit for protecting the dharma. Jun Ma has now passed away. On August 30, 2007 between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., the heavenly dharma protecting deities descended upon the city of Pasadena. Thunder pealed like a welcoming [...] and rain fell from the sky, alighting upon flowers like nectar. These auspicious, wondrous, and majestic signs were the fruits of Jun Ma's dharma practice. Numerous deities escorted Jun Ma to a higher realm. He now permanently lives in the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss, having been reborn on a lotus pedestal in one of the nine levels of that paradise. Day and night, he will forever be a holy dharma-protecting general. Whatever he desires to receive, he will receive. His bliss will be limitless, and his blessings will be eternally abundant. May he soon realize the great fruit of enlightenment. This tombstone is made in his memory. August 31, 2007 Inscribed by practitioners of the Four Jewels

Xue Bao: A Great Dane whose dharma name was Xue Bao was born in January of 2000 in Thailand. She was moved to the west and lived in the United States. She was loyal to the Four Jewels and earned high merit for protecting the dharma. Xue Bao has now passed away. On October 25, 2010 between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., the heavenly dharma protecting deities descended upon the city of Pasadena. She lived longer than any of the other Great Danes born in the same litter. She had a kind character. Auspicious, wondrous, and majestic signs appeared at the time of her passing, which were the fruits of Xue Boa's dharma practice. Numerous deities escorted Xue Boa to a higher realm. She now permanently lives in the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss, having been reborn on a lotus pedestal in one of the nine levels of that paradise. Day and night, she will forever be a holy dharma-protecting general. Whatever she desires to receive, she will receive. Her bliss will be limitless, and her blessings will be eternally abundant. May she soon realize the great fruit of enlightenment. This tombstone is made in her memory. October 25, 2010 Inscribed by practitioners of the Four Jewels

Jie Ben: He was a dog who practiced Buddhism. The dharma name of this golden retriever was Jie Ben. He was born in 2001 and passed away in a state of liberation on July 30, 2013 between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. He lived the equivalent of more than ninety human years. He was loyal to the Three Jewels and brought benefit and joy to living beings. His conduct showed his goodness, intelligence, and wisdom, for which he was considerably praised. Thus, he was a model for others. He was turned over to people, from whom he respectfully learned the teachings of Buddhism that he followed. He obeyed every word that his Buddha Master uttered. Because of his incalculable merit from his continual practice, this benevolent Buddhist attained enlightenment. After he was placed in a coffin, his remains did not decay for several hot days during the summer. There was a fresh scent rather than a foul odor from his remains. The filth of the three poisons had vanished without a trace. With the help of mantra chanting, he has now been reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss where he will never retrogress. There he will experience the joy of unending bliss. May he follow the Buddhas in his cultivation of realization all the way until he realizes the goal of supreme enlightenment. This tombstone is specially made to memorialize him. July 30, 2013

Fur Fur: [...]pherd dog, was born in 2006 according to veterinary records. She was born in the United States. Because of karmic forces [...]ulated over many lifetimes, she wandered the streets without a home. An ill-intentioned person injured her hind legs. Later, she had the karmic conditions to encounter Mohe on the street. Seeing her sorrowful plight, Mohe took pity upon her, took her in, cared for her, and taught her the path of cultivation and doing good. Fur Fur was innately endowed with unusual intelligence. As soon as she was taught something, she was immediately able to do it. She was very honest and kindhearted. She became a dharma protector. Because she had an old pysical impairment, she could not walk well. This caused her health to decline. She passed away in her prime. Her consciousness was raised to the Pure Land. The sutra Expounding the Absolute Truth Through the Heart Sutra was buried with her to protect her and ensure that she attains permanence, bliss, unattached self-awareness, and purity, has ample food and clothing, experiences limitless beneficial effects from her practice, and soon realizes enlightenment. We hereby set up this tombstone to memorialize her. May 3, 2015 Memorialization by Practitioners of the Three Jewels

Meng Shou Jun: He was a fierce Tibetan dog named Meng Shou Jun (King of Beasts). In his youth, he exhibited awe-inspiring strength. At the tender age of three months, he swallowed an entire duck neck about eight inches long. As an adult dog, he weighed almost two-hundred pounds. No other dog could match his fighting abilities. Any dog who heard his bark would tremble. His thunderous roar shook walls and windows. Upon detecting his scent, ferocious dogs, mountain lions, and other similar animals would curl up their tails and stealthily hide. For ten years, he intelligently guarded the home night and day without any gaps. His merit was boundless. Because he suddenly became ill, his owner sought help from numerous sources. For days, many veterinarians gave him emergency treatment all day long to save him, but none were effective. His life came to an end on October 18, 2016 at Pasadena Veterinary Specialists. His coffin was moved to the temple in Monterey Park. Many monastics there performed several holy dharma assemblies to raise his spirit to a higher realm of existence. His spirit went to the realm of ultimate bliss. On the auspicious day for burial, his coffin was taken to Pet Haven Cemetery. That day, dharma masters gathered there. At that spot, they recited sutras and chanted mantras. They practiced dharma to increase his merit. Finally, Shoujun had a perfect ending, attaining everlasting happiness and prosperity. This tombstone is specially made to memorialize him. December 2016

Jerry: Jerry, a pure white-haired Shih-Tzu, had a selfless, upright character when alive. When he and other dogs gathered to eat together, he often restrained himself, letting the other dogs eat first. Even when others vied for and ate his share of the food, he did not harbor resentment toward him. Happy to do good and give to others, Jerry was praised for his virtue and admired for his excellence. Suddenly, on a day when he was healthy and without disease, he died peacefully at the age of 100. His remains were placed in front of an alter before burial for three days right at a time when the temperature was high, yet there was no foul odor. Rather, a fragrance wafted about. Both dogs and people were moved by his morality. Jerry passed away, returning to his home in the west on November 22, 2017. Many monastics chanted sutras and mantras for Jerry, which added to his merit. The coffin containing his remains was moved to Pet Haven cemetery. All of those monastic dharma masters gathered there and performed a dharma assembly, dedicating the merit to the rebirth of Jerry in the World of Ultimate Bliss and to his eternal well-being. This tombstone is specially established in commemoration of Jerry. November 2017

Ke Ruo Xuan: Keruoxuan was a brown-haired mastiff who took refuge in Buddhism and was given this dharma name. Keruoxuan was a Sable Mastiff, the most extraordinary kind among Tibetan mastiffs. She belonged to a rare profoundly ghostly species and was of the most superior bloodline of her breed. Upon hearing her voice, ferocious dogs trembled and bowed their heads. Upon seeing her, they curled their tails and bent their legs. Every month deep in the night of a full moon on the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, Keruoxuan looked at the moon in solitude and remained in unperturbed stillness. Every half an hour or so, she howled toward the moon. This sonorous sound, no different from that of a wolf, pierced the silence of the hollow ravine, causing trepidation to people. Having a sense of righteousness, Keruoxuan was steadfast [...] to a new residence, she was deeply saddened and [...] rage and with her sharp teeth, she broke apart some wires of a steel cage that was strong enough for housing tigers and wolves. She wanted to make a [...] back to her old home. When she was under such fury, she was untamable [...] Only after her refuge-master personally imparted dharma to guide her [...] relinquish her rage and became [...] No other dog could surpass her loyalty. She passed away in Las Vegas at the dog age of 103 years old. Her casket was brought to the Holy Miracles Temple in Los Angeles County. Day and night dharma masters led members of the congregation [...] dharma and chant sutras for Keruoxuan. At her tomb, monastics set up [...] to raise her consciousness to a higher realm, and Keruoxuan ascended to the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. Through such wonderful karmic conditions, Keruoxuan became a disciple who is eternally loyal to Buddhism. This tombstone is specially erected for the commemoration of Keruoxuan. July 3, 2018

Conveniently, "Buddha" happens to be buried nearby as well:

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