Formerly a place where military pets were buried, this small, secluded cemetery became part of the park system when the Presidio army base closed in 1995. The graves and wooden markers are in varying states of disrepair. The markers lean in various directions, as if they can’t make up their minds whether to stand or fall. Dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, hamsters, lizards, goldfish and mice are buried here -- below an on-ramp to the Golden Gate Bridge. The words on the grave markers are incongruous, since they are often informal, and sometimes even amusing. (“Loved Pet Stinky – Not Really – Bye Now”) They speak of animals, not man. Yet in some of these words of mourning, the sense of loss is indelible and often haunting. A splash of sunlight divides the dark shadows here in half – offering a glimmer of hope to an otherwise grim scene.