How To Memorialize Your Pet
I’m not going to lie, I have ginormous crocodile tears running down my face as I write this post and truly wish that I was sharing literally anything else in the entire world with ya’ll today. It’s crazy for me to think that this time last year, I was spending the day with a Mister at our neighborhood park, throwing the ball and taking him to the doggie bakery to pick up his cake.
Today is February 19 and it’s Bentley’s Birthday. He would have been nine-years-old. It has been exactly two months and eight days since he went to doggie heaven and to be completley honest, I’ve been absolutely devasted every single day since. I just feel like a whole part of my heart has been ripped away. I always knew that losing him would really take a toll on me but I never in a million years thought it would be this hard. I always figured he would be much older, that it would be his time and that we would see it coming….not that it would happen so soon, nor so suddenly.
If you aren’t a super dog person, my pain might be a little hard for you to understand (or seem over the top) and maybe it’s the pregnancy hormones talking, who knows but I mean it when I say that I have truly never loved something so much in my entire life. Bentley was my best friend, he made me a better person, he taught me how to truly love and care for something other than myself, he showed me the true meaninng of selfless love and felt more like my firstborn than he did anything else.
Since his passing, I’ve had so many of you guys reach out with your own personal stories of passed pets and a handful of ya’ll who are currently going through the same tragedy, looking for comfort and guidance. While I don’t have the answers, I will say that physicially crying, talking about him, actively remembering all of the special moments and finding different ways to memorialize him have really helped me during the mourning process.
So in memory of Mister Bentley, below you will find over 10 Ways to Memorialize Your Pet and help keep their spirit alive forever.
I know this is definitely a more somber post, but unfortunately, it’s a huge part of life and if it helps heal the heart of one person reading this, then I’ve done my job.
So whether you’ve recently lost your pet or a friend/family member has recently lost theirs, and you’d like to give them something in honor of their furry friend, I promise that you’ll find something great below.
HOW TO MEMORIALIZE YOUR PET
CHAT BOOK
(Memory Book / Photo Album)
While I recommend all of the ideas listed below, I truly cannot recommend this one enough. They are hard back photo books that you can easily design online or through the Chat Books app with photos from your phone, computer, social channels and etc.
Ours is filled with over 150 photos of Bentley’s life and it truly turned out better then I could’ve ever imagined. We have it sitting on our coffee table because it’s so nice! It was also oddly very theraputic for me to put together and kind of really helped me during the mourinng process. Just going through his photos, putting them in order and etc.
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Custom Pet Urn
One to fit your style and home decor. While the company we used for his cremation, gave us an urn to hold his ashes, I would really like to order this one above because it would fit into our home decor a little bit better and I would like to have him displayed where I can see him.
Pet Memory Box
A sweet memorial box to hold all of your pet’s beloved items. I plan on getting the one above for Bentley to hold his collar, lock of fur, his favorite green ball, paw prints, a few photos and etc.
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Paw Print Ring
I haven’t ordered this ring yet, but it’s something I really want too/need to do. We made sure to get his paw prints done just so that I could. This same company does bracelts and necklaces too! I just personnally love the daintyness of the ring.
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Custom Pet Portrait
My Mom had this portrait of Bentley made a few Christmas’s ago and I have never loved something so much. I mean, at the time I loved it, but now I really love it. For most artists, you just pick your favorite photo, send it into them and let them work ther magic! For Bentley’s, my mom used the artist, Leslie Michelle but below are a few more options for different styles!
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Custom Pet Ornament
If our Christmas decor wasn’t so far back in our storage unit, I would’ve gotten Bentley’s Ornament out to show you guys, but I just love this idea for keeping your pets memory alive during the holiday season.
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Custom Pet Coffee Mug
An easy way to remember your friend every single day. I obviously bought the mug shown above awhile back, but I really want to get this one, that has a halo painted on it, also made in memory of him.
If you’re looking for something particular to gift a loved one who has recently lost their pet, I really love this idea.
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Memorial Key Chain
A way to carry their love with you everywhere you go. This is another one that I think would make a great gift. With the keychain above, you can personalize it with your pets breed, wings and name. Then you can also get one with your pets paw print or even with their photo.
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Stuffed Animal
Something comforting to hold onto when you’re missing your friend. I think this is especially a great idea for any kids that have recently lost their pet.
My plan is to get one for Bentley to put his bandana on but you could also do a ribbon with their name on it or even their collar if it fits.
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Living Urn
I really, really love this idea and think it’s so cool. If you haven’t heard of The Living Urn, it is the leading bio urn & planting system designed to grow a beautiful, enduring memory tree, plant, or flowers with cremated remains. So instead of just spreading the ashes of your sweet pet, you can plant them and turn them into something amazing that you can enjoy every day.
One thing that I thought was really cool, is that they really help you pick a plant that works best in your climate and zip code so that you don’t pick something that wont work.
Memorial Garden Stone
If your family has decided to bury your pet in your families back yard or even if you’ve decided to spread their ashes back there, this memorial garden stone is a great way to mark the area where you choose to do it and help to honor the life of your precious family member.
I hope and pray that if you’re reading this, you aren’t having to worry about picking any of the above out, but if you are, I hope that it brings you some comfort and peace.
If you have recently gone through the loss of a pet though and would like to share their story or how you chose to memorialize them, please do so in the comments section below. I would truly love to read them.
xo,
Lauren