Photo by Rafaëlla Waasdorp on Unsplash
Our pets are perfect, giving us unconditional love while expecting nothing in return, except maybe lots of love and a few treats. Regardless of the type of pet we have, their age, or how they come into our lives, we pet parents all share one thing in common: dreading the day we will inevitably say goodbye.
In between hello and goodbye for now, we build unwavering bonds with our pets, creating happy memories that hold us through the tough times. As we begin to deal with our loss, many of us want to find ways to honor our pets.
If you’re considering the best ways to honor your pet, here are a few popular pet memorial ideas:
Host a Memorial for Your Pet
Some pet parents host a pet memorial, a gathering to honor their beloved pet, share stories, and come together in grief and healing. You may even want to have a viewing before your pet is buried or cremated. While there are pet funeral homes to help plan and host pet memorials, you can also plan one yourself.
Opt for a pet urn
Cremation is a popular choice for many of us who want to keep our pets’ remains with us, especially if we plan to move in the future. If you have your pet cremated through a funeral home or pet cremation service, you can usually pay an additional fee for a pet urn. Some services offer the opportunity to choose the urn while others use the same type of urn for all pets.
If you prefer choosing your own, you’ll find nearly limitless options online. Just type “pet urns” into your favorite search engine and you’ll find a ton of choices, many of which won’t break the bank if you’re on a budget.
Choose a pet headstone
Photo by Michael Williams on Unsplash
Whether you decide to bury your pet on your property or in a pet cemetery, you’ll likely want their final resting place to include a pet headstone. If you prefer to purchase one, you have plenty of options from where to buy – from pet funeral homes to marketplaces like Etsy.
Write an obituary
One of the benefits of the pet funeral home (part of a funeral home for people) I chose was all pets receive a memorial page on their website. We can include an obituary, photos, videos, and memories on that page, which will stay up indefinitely. Writing an obituary can be a cathartic way to honor your pet.
You don’t need to choose a pet funeral home with a website to post the obituary. Share your pet’s obituary on social media, or post it on a free online pet memorial site.
Cremation Jewelry
Cremation jewelry has become a popular way to memorialize both people and pets. Transforming your pet’s ashes into jewelry – a charm for a necklace, earrings, a ring, or a bracelet – allows you to keep your pet close all of the time.
Invest the time in researching companies that create cremation jewelry, so you find one with which you feel comfortable working.
Pet Keepsakes
Photo by Emily Irene Photo Co. on Unsplash
Some pet funeral homes and cremation services will clip a bit of fur or hair and take a footprint of your pet prior to burial or cremation. You can also create those pet keepsakes long before your pet becomes ill or passes away. Chewy, Amazon, and Etsy all sell non-toxic pet safe paint that will allow you to capture your pet’s paw print.
You can also make a clay paw print. Look online for clay kits that allow you to capture your pet’s paw print and then bake the clay to create a Christmas ornament or something similar.
Donate in Your Pet’s Memory
If you have the funds, consider making a monetary or product donation in your pet’s memory. Maybe you adopted your pet from a rescue or a shelter, or there’s an organization that reminds you of your beloved pet.
Adopt
Saying goodbye to a pet, a beloved member of our family, hurts – a lot. No one will ever replace them nor would we even want to try. Sometimes, though, the best way to remember the pet who has left us is to adopt another pet when the time feels right.
How do you remember your pets who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge? Stop by the Pet-Friendly PA Facebook page and let us know.
