by Sid Korpi, Animal Chaplain and author of Good Grief: Finding Peace After Pet Loss

In my work as an animal chaplain, I help people to prepare for, cope with and move on after pet loss. Often, the pain of this loss is so acute, some people swear they will never again put themselves through the agonizing grief. While many say this in the early stages of grief and eventually change their minds, others will actually stay stuck in this mindset indefinitely and build walls of defenses around themselves. I feel very sorry for these folks, for their impulse to spare themselves grief in the short term is actually ensuring they remain trapped in a place of fear for far longer than if they’d allowed themselves to fully feel all the difficult emotions in the first place. Peace and acceptance follow on the heels of grief.

Of course, tears are a big part of our initial experience of grief. Shedding them is vital to our emotional and even physical health. But believing you will never move beyond that acute anguish is erroneous, causing you to deny your feelings altogether. This practice can lead to disease of the body and mind, as well as prove destructive to other relationships, as those emotions seek less healthy/honest means of expression.

Of vital importance in moving through, rather than denying, one’s grief is the act of memorializing our beloved animal companion and celebrating his or her life. This can be done by getting a personalized stone or urn and creating a sort of shrine, holding a memorial service with friends and family members who knew and loved your pet, or it can be a private act wherein you light a solitary candle and write a letter to your animal friend expressing your gratitude for all he or she brought to your life and allowing yourself to remember happy moments you shared. (Should you be in need of inspirational ideas, in my book, Good Grief: Finding Peace After Pet Loss, I devote an entire chapter to methods of doing this.)

Our pets come into our lives as teachers of unconditional love, unbridled joy, acceptance of the cycles of life, and living in the moment. To say, “I will never have another pet,” actually dishonors the pet you just lost. In effect, you’re saying that you choose to ignore all he or she tried to teach you, all out of fear of pain. When the time is right and you’ve completed your mourning—please do not rush into this as another means of avoiding the pain of spending time alone with yourself—you will honor the memory of your dear pet by opening your heart and home to another needful animal.

Your best friend’s pet died, and although you are not a pet owner yourself, you wonder how to comfort them through their grief.  Expressing sympathy for pet loss is not as hard as it may seem.  There are many things you can do to help comfort your friend during this time, and to help them recover from their sadness so that they can begin healing.

Now more than ever before, people consider pets a member of the family.  They love their loyal companions, and even sometimes treat them as almost human.  Thankfully, there are several sympathy phrases for pet loss, so that your friend feels that you care.  Some people feel silly that they get so upset and saddened by the death of a pet, because other people don’t seem to get so attached to pets.  This is another reason to express your sympathy – pet loss is much more devastating to some individuals than others.

Sending a sympathy card to your friend is always a good idea, and now cards are being designed that are directed specifically for the owners of pets.  You can always write a special letter that includes your heartfelt sympathy, or craft a poem in remembrance of your friends beloved pet.

Pet cremation jewelry is another idea that is growing in popularity.  There are hundreds of styles and designs available.  This jewelry is designed to hold a small portion of the cremains or other memento, helping the bereaved feel that they have a special remembrance to keep with them always.  You may also want to consider garden stones to be placed as a memorial, or even pet themed picture frames so that your friend can display a favorite special photo.

There are several great sayings that have been penned to help you express sympathy for pet loss.  You may want to have one or more of these expressions imprinted inside a special card, or simply write them yourself:

No one loves you unconditionally as your beloved pet. – Cynthia S. Dobesh

Although it’s difficult today to see beyond the sorrow, may looking back in memory help comfort you tomorrow. – Author Unknown

What we have once enjoyed we can never lose; All that we love deeply becomes a part of us. – Helen Keller

Offering your sympathy for pet loss is a loving gesture toward your friend.  It gives them comfort, and helps them validate the loss and sadness they are feeling.  When you have a good friend that has lost a truly cherished pet, support them by giving something from your heart – sympathy.

Pets to Rest Blog

Pet Loss and Children

Explaining the death of a loved one or even the concept of dying to a child is one of the toughest things you will ever do.  When it comes to pet loss, children often perceive in their mind that a pet will be around for as long as the child is.  How can you comfort them, and explain in a way that they understand?  This may in fact be the first encounter with death of any kind for a child, so it should be handled in the right manner.

There are many considerations; in dealing with losing a pet, children of different age groups should be handled differently.  Honesty is always the best policy; you never want to make the child believe that your family pet simply wandered off, or that they “went to sleep” and didn’t wake up.  If a child is 10 or 11 years old, they often already understand that every living thing dies at some point.  Children of different ages also perceive the death of a pet differently.  For example:

A very young child, perhaps 3 or 4 years old, knows that the pet is a playmate.  When the pet dies, she will most likely miss it for a time, but may not experience much sadness or trauma like an older child would.  Children who are old enough to take care of feeding or walking a pet may experience guilt feelings.  In their mind, they may believe that they did something that caused the animal to become sick or die.  This is particularly true if the child ever had thoughts such as wishing they didn’t have to take care of  the pet.

With pet loss, children should understand that you are sad as well.  Never try to hide your emotions; be honest and open.  If you bury your pet or have him cremated, you may want to create a special memorial or “place” in the backyard where the child can visit him.  Explain to your child that time will heal their sadness and pain, and that one day they will have happy memories of their pet.  One mistake many parents make is getting a new pet almost immediately.  Don’t try to replace a pet your family loved deeply too soon.  Let your child grieve that pet, who was a special member of your family.

Children are extremely resilient and adaptable.  In fact, a young child will get over a devastating or sad experience like the loss of a pet quicker than most adults.  It is a good idea to explain death and dying to your children, in a gentle way.  When you lose a pet, it is important that children know what really happened, and that their pet is not in some magical place.  Honesty is always best; talk with your children openly, and tell them it is okay to feel sad or to cry.  This is sometimes the quickest way for a child to begin the healing process.

To many people, this is very similar to the feelings experienced in losing a human friend or family member. People may say unkind things such as “Get over it – it was just a pet!” This is very cold and indifferent, but that is how some people feel. Pet loss can be extremely devastating. Their unwavering love and affection is something you don’t get often in this life from humans.

People often think you are silly if you mourn the passing of a friend, that they are somehow not as important as humans. The truth is, sometimes our pets treat us better than friends and family do – and they are loyal to a fault. This is why the loss of a pet can upset you every bit as much as the death of a friend. Feelings of sadness, despair and depression are natural for many people when a beloved pet dies.

Often, remembering certain things can help you cope with losing a dog or cat. Think back about how your pet came to be with you, where you got him from. What were some of the activities that you enjoyed together? Did you play catch in the backyard, or go for walks every day? Think of some of the rough times in your life, or times that you were deliriously happy. How did your pet fit in the picture at those times? Sometimes, thinking back gives you positive feelings that enable you to cope better.

Dealing with grief takes time. Gradually, you will start feeling better and realize that you still have the memories of the great times you shared with your pet. It happens in stages; you move toward closure. Grief and sadness do not go away overnight. When a furry friend dies , especially one you have had for years, can be emotionally draining. You may lose your appetite, and have trouble sleeping. This is normal for those who truly loved their pets from the depths of their soul. Pets to Rest provides a great deal of useful information to assist you during your time of loss.

It is not easy to deal with the death of a furry friend. There are times when you cry your heart out, times when you simply reflect over the past. You have lost the most loving, loyal and affectionate being in your world. Will you ever move past this? Yes, in time. Gradually, life will return to normal. To help gain closure, many people bury or cremate their pets. This allows you to feel that you have shown love and respect to your pet by memorializing him in a way that demonstrates your feelings, and the special place he had in your life. The loss of a pet is truly heartbreaking, but life will go on, and you will move forward in your own good time.

The practice of honoring cats when they pass on goes far back to the time of the ancient Egyptians. Cats, often seen as guardians in the afterlife, are mummified along with their departed masters and are placed in urns for cats.  These urns are then placed in a sacred spot in their masters’ tomb, serving as companions to them in the afterlife as much as they had when they were still alive.

Today, this practice of honoring feline friends who have passed on continues.  More and more cat owners are opting to have their departed cats cremated and their ashes stored in cremation urns for cats.  Thus, if you are the owner of a cat who has passed on and you want to show how much you cherish your cat, you are in good company when you choose to have your pet cremated.

Memorial Options

If you decide to buy an cat memorial, you would not have problems with finding the perfect urn.  There are so many custom choices available for you out there. You just need to take your time to shop for the urn that you think is most suitable for your pet.

Urn for a Cat

Urns for cats are made from many different materials – wood, ceramic, marble, metal, stone, and even plastic and cloth.  They also come in many different styles, ranging from the most simple to the most ornate.

When you decide on which urn to buy, it will help you to consider where you will put the urn in the long run.  If it is going to be placed inside the house, you may want an urn that fits the décor of your house. You will also not need something that is specifically for enduring the elements, like rain, wind, etc. So if the urn is to be put in a spot outdoors, like in your garden, you would need an urn that can withstand last.

Engraved Urn for Cats

Considering Your Budget

There are so many wonderful pet urns available today. And many are not expensive at all. Consider this brass urn. You can have your pet’s name and dates of living engraved on the urn for under $50. On the other hand you can purchase this Cobalt Amphora Pet Urn for $250.

Urns for cats are perfect memorials for a beloved feline friend. They are a thoughtful way of showing just how much you loved your cat and how much she meant to you.

Dogs are very loyal animals and are known for the love and devotion that they show to their masters. That is why when your beloved dog passes on, it is only fitting that you cherish their memory with a memorial.

Hydrant Urn for Dogs

These days, cremation is no longer limited to humans and the same goes for the use of cremation urns. You can choose to have your dog’s cremated remains stored in an urn. These pet urns are widely available and there is something out there that will suit you and your dog perfectly.

Choosing the Right Urns for Dogs

When you browse offline and online catalogs for an urn, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the number of choices available to you. There are just so many out there, and they come in various sizes, shapes and colors. This may make the task of selecting the right urns for dogs for your pet a bit more complicated than it really is, but the task is actually quite simple when you think about it.

Before you shop for a memorial for your pet, one of the things you need to consider is where you will put the urn after your dog’s memorial service. Will you put the urn in your garden or indoors? If you are going to put your urn inside your home, you may want something that will blend well with the rest of the room’s décor. If you are going to place it outdoors, choose an urn that is made of durable materials, materials that can withstand the elements.

Garden Dog Memorial

You may also want to consider the size and breed of your dog. This is not exactly an iron-clad rule, but it may be more appropriate to store the remains of a small dog in a small urn and a big dog in a big urn. Generally the rule for choosing the urn size is how ever many pounds your dog weighed before they passed is how many cubic inches you will need in an urn. The garden pet memorial has a space that is buried in the ground and holds 85 cubic inches of cremated remains.

Customizing Urns for Dogs

Another wonderful option you can go for when selecting urns for dogs is having the urn customized. You can have it engraved with the name of your dog, the dates of birth and death, and an epithet of your choice. You can even have the portrait of your dog painted or engraved on the urn.

No matter what your choice is, it is important that you select the right urns for an animal among the many available out there today. Your dog was special to you during his lifetime; it is only fitting that the urn you choose is something special too. Thank you for reading.

Many pets become a part of the family, a pet loss can therefore be heartbreaking. A memorial that would express one’s love to the treasured pet will give comfort to a grieving pet owner. Pet cremation is becoming a growing trend.  It has become widely accepted and practical and gaining popularity.

Ceramic Pet Urn

Putting the remains of one’s sweet pet in a most deserving receptacle, a ceramic urn, is a wonderful way to memorialize the pet. It is a great keepsake to remember the beloved animal.

A pet ceramic urn comes in different shapes and sizes ranging from small to large. Choosing the right size is not difficult. The measure is how much did the animal weigh before they were cremated. This number will give you the cubic inches of the urn that you need. Most ceramic pet urns can be customized with the pet’s name and dates, with elaborate decorations carved right into the material. It can be adorned with a photo of the pet and with some thoughtful engravings and terms of endearment to be cherished and admired. An urn for your pet can be placed in a significant location at home so that it can be seen often, a reassurance that the pet has been laid to rest in an urn that is meant to last. Honoring and preserving the memory is one way to help a grieving heart heal.

A ceramic urn is just one among other quality crafted urns made of different materials: bronze, marble, stone, wood, glass, metal, granite and even biodegradable material. These urns come in different colors, from bold and bright to deep and dark. Some pet urns can hold many memorable personal items such as the pet’s favorite toy, collar or leash. No matter what kind of urn you might choose, all urns serve as a lasting tribute to honor the beloved pet the best way possible.

Tips on choosing the right pet urn

Some pet owners prefer that the cremated remains would be scattered in a land or in deep water rather than be kept in an urn at home. Deciding what to do with the cremated remain is the first step in memorializing the pet. It is also helpful in choosing the right pet urn.

Here are some helpful tips:

1. A temporary urn made of biodegradable material which is cost-friendly could be considered if the pet owner would prefer that the ashes would be scattered or buried in the soil or deep water.
2. Small memorial jewelries like a small keepsake urn would be a good
   idea if only a small amount of the remains will be kept as keepsake.
3. If the ashes will be kept  in an urn at home, a durable  urn made of
   lasting materials (granite, bronze, metal, ceramics, etc.) would be a
   perfect choice.

There are many wonderful ceramic memorials available. The goal of all beautifully crafted ceramic urns whatever is its size, material, shape or design is clearly to keep the memory of the lost friend. Thank you for reading.

Custom Urns for Pets

“A dog is a man’s best friend”…you may have heard this saying several times.  Well, the saying adapts to all sorts of pets that you may have called a friend.  These creatures bring a different light to your everyday living.  You take care of them…feed them…clothe them…you do everything just to make sure they live comfortably in your midst.  When one of your pets passes away, you are faced with the challenge of find an urn.  Purchasing the right memorial for your pet can help in your time of grieving.

There some great urns for pets to choose from.  These urns are not so different for cremation urns for people. In fact, if you try to browse some Internet pages, you will see that several cremation urns can be used interchangeably from pets to people and there are various options to consider. There is a right place for your pet to be laid to rest and we are dedicated to helping you find a wonderful memorial. This process will surely assist in healing the pain of losing a pet.

Types of urns for pets

As mentioned, you have different options when ordering urns for pets. Similar to how you found suitable toys, things and spaces for your pets, there are also several personalization options for urns for pets. To give you some idea on your basic choices, here are types of cremation urns to consider.

1.    Traditional urns.  These cremation urns will be buried or used for scattering. When it comes to traditional choices for pet urns, you are given the chance to choose from small and large urns as well as porcelain urns and frames.  These conventional options depict the special bond you once shared with your pets.  There are also urns with angels and pets playing together.

2.    Artistic urns.  You may also have other choices known as arts and crafts.  This type of cremation urn is a sculpture of the pet you once owned.  If you had a dog, you may order for a dog sculpture with special designs.  You may do the same thing if you had a cat, a ferret, a hamster, a bird and other creatures.

3.    Urns for home decoration.  You can also order urns for pets that you may use as a decor in your own homes.  These cremation urns can be simple vases, boxes, hearts or other types where you may place the ashes of your pets after their own “cremation” rites.  All cremation urns are properly sealed and can be suitable for display in your home.

These are just basic types of urns that you may order from online service providers for urns for pets.  With the wide array of choices you have, you will surely find one to give your lost pet the memory it deserves.  Protect your pet’s cherished remains through the aid of different types of urns for pets.

Garden Pet Marker

It is highly likely that when your pet was still alive, your pet made your garden his home. You may have spent time there romping with your pet.  And now that your pet is gone, one of the many ways that you can honor him is to let your pet have his eternal rest in your garden and mark his resting place with garden pet markers.

Garden pet markers work the same way as headstones do in a cemetery. They help you make note of the place where your pet is buried in your garden. They can serve as decorative pieces in your garden that will help you remember your pet and the fun times you had together. Some very unique garden markers are actually pet urns, where half of the urn is buried in the ground that top face is a memorial marker.

Why Choose Garden Pet Markers

Of the number of choices that you have for honoring your pet’s memory, why should you choose garden pet markers?  These memorials are the logical choice if you have decided to bury your pet instead of having him cremated. You will need something to mark the location of his resting place.

This is especially true if you are burying your pet in a pet cemetery or in an eco-cemetery.  The garden pet markers you choose will help you distinguish exactly where your pet was laid to rest.

If you are worried about whether or not you will be able to have your garden pet markers customized, the answer is yes. There are so many materials that you can choose to have as your markers. You can have your markers in the affordable resin material or the more expensive and elegant marble, granite or engraved garden stones. You can have these markers engraved however way you want. You can even have a portrait of your pet etched on the marker.

Landscaping Around Garden Pet Markers

Even after your pet has gone, you can enjoy their presence in your garden. You can make the space in your garden where you had him buried a special niche where you can have some peace and quiet. You can make your pet’s burial spot a place where you can read, meditate, do needlework or any activity that helps you relax.  A pet memorial is very suitable to be outside and we encourage our customers to consider this as their pets resting place.

To do this, you can plant flowers or shrubs as fringe for your pet’s burial spot, with the garden pet markers right at the center. Then you can have a bench or a chair placed there, where you can rest comfortably while passing time with your beloved pet long after he is gone. We encourage planning of your memorial space. Visit In the Light Urns for biodegradable urns. Thank you for reading.

Losing a beloved pet can be devastating for a loving owner who considers that pet a member of the family.  Grieving pet loss is an important process.  You need time to allow yourself to heal, and you must experience a range of emotions just as you do when a human family member passes.

Dealing with pet loss is easier for some than for others, depending upon how close you really were to your pet.  If you felt that your pet was just like a child to you, you will most likely feel many emotions in the weeks following your loss.  You may experience:

Guilt – Many times, pet owner feel that they should have done more, particularly if their beloved pet died in an accidental way.

Denial – You may feel the need to do away with any belongings related to your pet.  Others may feel that getting rid of anything related is somehow disrespectful.

Depression – As with people, it is natural to feel depressed for a period of time.  You may feel extremely sad, but you have lost a member of your family!  If your depression seems to go on for an abnormally long period of time, you may need to seek counseling.

You may also feel anger at some point, and eventually you will accept that fact that your close friend and forever loyal pal is gone.  This will come at your own pace, and the pain will heal although you will forever miss your pet.  Be open and honest about your feelings, and discuss what you feel with people close to you who will understand.  Talking with others helps to release some of those pent-up feelings inside.

Dealing with the loss of a pet can be very hard.  You may feel silly and think that others don’t understand why you are so upset because it was an animal.  Never feel that you should hide your emotions or try to suppress your feelings.  Your pet was perhaps your best friend, and one that never questioned you.  He/She loved you unconditionally, and was faithful through and through. Find words of sympathy that can help you say how you are feeling to someone who has lost a pet.

You have every right to grieve, and the process is a natural one.  One day, you will be able to remember your beloved pet with great pride and joy, and think of all the special memories you created together.