5 pet memorial ideas to honour your pet's life
For many owners, their pets are cherished members of the family so pet grief is a common feeling when an animal companion dies. We've put together these 5 pet memorial ideas to help you feel connected to a special furry friend who has crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
A customised tribute can make a wonderful reminder of the affection your companion shared with you and your family in their life. Consider these pet memorial ideas to help honour the memory of your little mate.
1. Hold a pet funeral service
For some owners, the bond they had with a pet who has died can be stronger than in human relationships. Planning a pet funeral is a common way dedicated owners can honour the love and affection their pet provided to them.
Even if you arrange a pet cremation instead of a burial, you can still hold a pet funeral service. This form of pet memorial could be at home, in the backyard, or someplace else they loved like a park or beach.
Who you invite to attend, and how simple or elaborate the service, is entirely up to you. You may even prefer to invite nobody at all – but instead, quietly reflect and pay tribute alone.
2. Pet memorial boxes
Owners find comfort in storing their pet’s cherished belongings, like a collar, leash, favourite toy, and some photos, in a keepsake box. Owners take great comfort in displaying a pet memorial in a prominent place at home, as a tribute to their faithful companion.
There are so many online pet memorial providers that provide customisation options to decorate a keepsake box with your pet’s name or photo on it.
Every dog cremation arranged through Goodbye Good Boy includes a timber keepsake box with their name on it, to store the ashes in. Keeping a pet’s remains close is a way to continue the human-animal bond after the pet has died.
In addition to the pet memorial box, we can also provide a paw print and tuft of fur as keepsakes, as well as a digital PAW-trait of your pet based on a photo of your choosing.
3. Pet memorial stones and plaques
Pet memorial stones are another popular pet memorial idea.
Engraved pet memorial stones and plaques serve a similar purpose to a headstone that you might find at a cemetery, to mark the final resting place of a deceased human. But they don’t necessarily need to mark the place Fido was buried or kept with their ashes. Pet memorial stones and plaques can simply be a decorative ornament placed anywhere prominent - like in the garden or mantle - to pay tribute to your four-legged friend.
4. Pet memorial jewellery in Australia
There are so many companies that can provide personalised pet memorial jewellery in Australia.
Common pet memorial jewellery keepsakes include necklace pendants etched with a pet’s name or photo or paw print, and bracelets engraved with a pet’s name and a short message.
Some pet memorial jewellery providers even allow for the pet’s cremated ashes to be added to the piece of jewellery.
5. Pet memorial tattoos
Pet memorial tattoos are a popular choice for animal lovers who want to make a permanent tribute to their most loveable member of the family.
Just as tattoos are popular tributes to deceased loved ones, owners often get portraits or paw prints inked on their skin to remind them of their everlasting bond with their pet.
Before you rush to get inked, you should do your research and choose an artist that specialises in animal portraits. Animals are easy to mess up if you get tattooed by someone who doesn’t do them often. The last thing you want is a tribute to your beloved pet that is unrecognisable, so choose your artist wisely.
As you should do before getting any tattoo, look up the artist’s portfolio on Instagram to get a feel of the work they do. If you don’t see many pets, it’s a good idea to ask them for some examples, or choose a different artist.
Pet memorial gifts in Australia
If you are looking for a customised pet memorial gift in Australia, either for yourself or for a friend who has lost a pet, there is an abundance of options available.
A quick search on Etsy for ‘pet memorials’ returns pages of keepsake pet memorial ideas to choose from. From custom pillows printed with your furry friend’s photo, to portraits, keyrings, memorial stones, keepsake boxes, and even engraved jewellery.
Pet grief is healthy
Your dog or cat may have been a loyal companion for years. It is normal to want to honour them in a way that keeps their uniqueness alive when they are no longer here. A pet memorial is a normal part of the grief journey, to pay tribute to their life and the impact they made on yours.
Human-animal bonds can often be stronger than some human relationships. That’s why it is common for owners to want to do something to pay tribute after their furry companion has gone to sleep. A pet memorial can be an effective way to cherish those wonderful memories shared with your beloved pet and to help ease the sense of loss.
We hope this article has given you some pet memorial ideas to consider, to maintain that special bond with your fur child.
If you still have some time left with your pet, read our article 9 pet memorial ideas to create a FUR-ever memory. It includes other pet memorial ideas that you and your companion can do together to create lasting memories.
To find out about the personalised pet memorial options we provide with our services at Goodbye Good Boy, give us a call on 1800 573 186 or visit us online at Goodbye Good Boy
Don’t wait until the very end. It’s important to consider your pet’s end-of-life journey early, so that you, your family and your pet are all supported through the process.
When the time comes, we’re here for you. Goodbye Good Boy provides a range of end-of-life services to make the difficult process of saying goodbye a little easier.
We offer quality of life assessments from qualified vets, specialist grief counselling, at home euthanasia from dedicated end of life veterinarians, as well as cremation services and memorial options to help remember your pet for their unique character.
We are with you at every step of the journey.
To find out more, you can call our team of passionate pet lovers on 1800 953 619.