Dog Memorial Ideas that Can Help You Move On

Dealing with the loss of your fur friend can put a temporary stop in your life. What do you do next? How do you move forward? Most importantly, how do you remember the good times you’ve shared with your old friend? In these trying times, the one thing you have to remember is to be positive. Focus on the positive. Think of the positive. And create something positive out of this entire ordeal. There are many dog memorial ideas that can help you produce just that.

1. Make a tribute

One way of the memorializing your pet’s beautiful life is by creating a tribute. It can be anything: a photo album, a craft, or a written account. For a photo tribute, you can choose the most beautiful photo of your fur baby—and have it elegantly bound in a stunning frame. If you can’t possibly pick just one, why don’t you create an entire album, showing your dog immersed in different activities or in different points in time?

You might also want to make a new craft out of it—like needlepoint kits that look like your pet or a cross-stitch project. Why don’t you visit Etsy, for some ideas of the best crafts that can commemorate your pet.

As for a written tribute, you can translate your thoughts into writing. You can write a poem, a touching letter, or even a collection of short stories about how your dog changed you and your family’s lives. You will find the release relieving, not to mention heart-endearing.

2. Create something new

There are many portrait artists who can paint a stunning caricature of your dog and bring your beloved pet to life, even just for a brief moment whenever you glance at the picture. You can find these artists in your yellow pages. If you’re interested in creating a portrait for your pet, better find a good quality image now.

Another novel idea is to plan a tree in your fur friend’s name. Companies likeTreegivers can plant a tree of your choice in the name of your special friend. You can plant the tree in your backyard or you can even ask the city parks department to have it planted in the city park.

For some people shopping works its wonders. You can go therapy shopping for a memorial item that will always remind you of your special friend.

3. Contribute and do your part.

One great way of commemorating your special pet’s life is by paying it forward: contribute to an animal welfare organization, one with a cause that you believe in.  Some NGOs will make a special remembrance—perhaps etch your pet’s name on a brass plate or on a stone, which will then form part of the facility.

You can also contribute to the research organization that’s currently working on a cure for whatever caused your pet’s death. This will prevent pet owners from having to see their pets die from a similar cause.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Here are some other ways for you to commemorate your dearly beloved pet.

Dog Memorial Ideas that Can Help You Move On

• Put your pet’s picture in a photo-display box (one that has a place in the top for a photo). Put some of the pet’s treasures inside the box, such as a collar or a lock of hair.

• Place a memorial stone or marker in your garden, even if you have not buried your pet at home.

• Keep a journal to help you through the grieving process. Record your pet’s life story in that journal.

• Build your own website in tribute to your pet.

• Put a special statue (not necessarily a funeral marker) in a garden spot that your pet loved. E.g., a statue of a pet, or of an angel, or St. Francis.

• Here’s one from a reader: Create a stepping stone for your garden in memory of your pet, or to mark its grave or the burial place of its ashes. There are many kits available that enable you to make your own stone and personalize it. The reader noted, “For example, my cat loved to eat fish and I found glass fish with which to make a mosaic.”

• Here’s a reader’s account of her Dog Party: Diary of the Best Last Day. It’s a wonderful, moving example of how to plan a “parting day” and create a farewell event for one’s pet and family. (Read More Here)

When it all comes down to it, what matters the most is that you let go, without forgetting; that you move forward, without leaving everything behind; and that you continue to love your other pets despite having your heart broken.