Coonhound & Foxhound Companions
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Our Dream
    • Why Donate
    • Contact Us
  • All About Hounds >
    • Why Adopt Coonhounds & Foxhounds
    • Adopting Senior Coonhounds & Foxhounds
  • Long Ears Alive! >
    • About the Long Ears Alive fund
    • Donate to Long Ears Alive fund to help homeless hounds
    • Happy tails from the Long Ears Alive fund
  • Resources >
    • Poster Downloads
    • Long Ear League
    • Promotional Kit
    • Links > >
      • Rescue Links
      • Useful Links
      • Fun and Games
  • Long Ears Blog
  • Online Store

Visiting the Coondog Cemetary in Alabama

7/24/2011

4 Comments

 
Picture
When travelling to judge a national bird dog championship, I saw a sign for the coondog cemetery and I just had to see it! As luck would have it, I got an afternoon off from judging and had some free time to travel to Colbert County, Alabama to the Key Underwood Coondog Cemetary.

Over Labor Day every year, there is a large celebration and bluegrass music festival at the cemetery. I can only imagine how much fun that is! The day I visited was a dreary February day in Alabama. You could hear the rustling of critters in the woods, but no hound song or music in the hills. Yet, the beauty and love exhibited in that memorial showed loud and clear.

We won't find our family pets in the Key Underwood Coondog Cemetary. Dogs must be coondogs (no other breeds allowed) and must be hunting dogs true to their heritage. Yet, every one of the nearly 200 dogs in the cemetery is loved and honored as much or more than any dog you can imagine.

Picture
If you want to see artwork, gaze carefully at Troop's memorial. It has a tree and two treeing hounds on it.
Picture
Many of the other headstones also have beautiful images of hounds. You can feel the love oozing from even the most simple wooden crosses with hand etched words.
Picture
Picture
What brought tears to my eyes were the orange hunting collars and tags hanging from the dog's cross. So many people find comfort in holding on to their dogs' collars and their ID tags or licenses long after they are gone. A collar is a very personal item specific to that one special dog.
Picture
Stopping by the Key Underwood Coondog Cemetary for a moment of peace in the woods on the mountain top in rural Colbert County, Alabama was well worth it. It was a touching reminder of how important my beloved coonhounds are to their owners, no matter where or what walk of life they come.

I will forever picture those collars resting gently atop gravestones and crosses.

Go to www.coondogcemetary.com if you'd like to see some of the pictures and information about this touching ritual.

By Mary Beth Hall
4 Comments
Karen Dancy
7/31/2011 12:01:57 pm

Wow, that is cool.

Reply
Scott Kennedy
8/3/2011 01:44:25 pm

We live in huntsville, about 1.5 hours away from the coondog cemetary. We have two coonies and have visited with our older one, Frank. We went on Labor Day and were greated like celebrities. People were snapping pictures of Frank as we walked in.

I recommend making the trip on Labor Day. It's a fun outing.

Reply
Mary Beth
8/8/2011 12:56:29 pm

Scott, that sounds great! Its a long drive from Ohio, but I'm sure it would be quite a treat in September with my walker hound along. We love bluegrass music and its really beautiful in the hills there.

Reply
Janice M. Williams
11/23/2011 07:57:07 am

This is our very own Coondog Cemetery. Our mission is to preserve and restore the cememtery for future generation. Look us up on Facebook for new photos.
www.facebook.com/coondogcemetery

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    The Coonie Team

    Jerry Dunham
    Mary Ann Emerson
    Marybeth Brown
    Anna Nirva
    Emily Plishner

    Jill Sicheneder
    Jean Stone

    Archives

    November 2020
    June 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    March 2016
    November 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011

    Categories

    All
    Black & Tan Coonhounds
    Bluetick Coonhounds
    Coonhound Advice
    Coonhound Companions
    Coonhound Events
    Coonhound History
    Coonhound Rescue & Adoption
    Coonhounds In Competition
    Coonhound Stories
    Coonhound Temperament
    Foxhounds
    Fun With Coonhounds
    In Memory Of Special Coonhounds
    Miscellaneous
    Redbone Coonhounds
    Senior Coonhounds
    Training Coonhounds
    Walker Coonhounds

    RSS Feed

Home
Our Dream
About Us
Donate
Contact Us