The Funeral.com Journal

Resources to help you create tributes as unique as the people (and pets) you love. Learn how engraving, photos, colors, and symbols add meaning; discover scattering rituals and at-home memorial ideas. We focus on the details that matter—because small choices can carry a lifetime of comfort.

How Long Does Pet Grief Last? Signs of Grieving in Dogs and Cats (and How to Help)

How Long Does Pet Grief Last? Signs of Grieving in Dogs and Cats (and How to Help)

If your dog seems to be waiting by the door, or your cat keeps returning to the spot where a companion used to sleep, it can feel like the loss...

Grieving the Loss of a Dog After Euthanasia: Making Peace With a Loving Choice

Grieving the Loss of a Dog After Euthanasia: Making Peace With a Loving Choice

The house can feel impossibly quiet after euthanasia. Even if you knew it was coming, even if you’d been carrying the worry for weeks, the moment afterward can feel like...

Euthanasia at the Shelter: The Trauma of Surrendering a Sick Pet

Euthanasia at the Shelter: The Trauma of Surrendering a Sick Pet

There are goodbyes that happen in your arms, in a quiet room, with a familiar voice and a hand on warm fur. And then there are goodbyes that happen in...

Natural Death vs. Euthanasia: Debunking the Myths of a "Peaceful" Natural Passing

Natural Death vs. Euthanasia: Debunking the Myths of a "Peaceful" Natural Passing

When a veterinarian says, gently, that a beloved dog or cat is nearing the end, many families feel a sudden need to choose the “right” kind of goodbye. Some people...

Palliative Care vs. Hospice for Pets: Understanding Your Options

Palliative Care vs. Hospice for Pets: Understanding Your Options

There’s a particular kind of heartbreak that arrives before a pet is gone. It shows up in small moments first: your dog pausing halfway up the stairs, your cat choosing...

Explaining Euthanasia to Kids: Scripts for Different Age Groups

Explaining Euthanasia to Kids: Scripts for Different Age Groups

There’s a particular kind of ache that shows up when a family realizes a beloved pet is nearing the end. Adults are often juggling two worlds at once: the quiet,...

How to Plan a Peaceful At-Home Euthanasia: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Plan a Peaceful At-Home Euthanasia: A Step-by-Step Guide

There’s a particular kind of love that shows up at the end of a pet’s life. It looks like carrying them when their legs can’t do the work anymore. It...

Is My Dog in Pain? Silent Signs Your Senior Pet is Suffering

Is My Dog in Pain? Silent Signs Your Senior Pet is Suffering

If you live with a senior dog, you already know how quietly time changes things. One day they’re leaping into the car without thinking; another day they pause at the...

Regretting the Vet Choice: Making Peace with Medical Trauma

Regretting the Vet Choice: Making Peace with Medical Trauma

The regret usually arrives after the hardest part is already over. At first, you’re simply trying to keep your pet alive, comfortable, and close. You’re making decisions in a fluorescent...

Behavioral Euthanasia: The Unique Stigma of Putting a Dangerous Dog Down

Behavioral Euthanasia: The Unique Stigma of Putting a Dangerous Dog Down

There are losses that arrive with casseroles and sympathy cards. And then there are losses that arrive with silence. If you have made—or are facing—the decision often called behavioral euthanasia,...

I Killed My Best Friend: Forgiving Yourself After Making the Euthanasia Call

I Killed My Best Friend: Forgiving Yourself After Making the Euthanasia Call

There’s a sentence some people whisper only in their heads, because it feels too ugly to say out loud: “I killed my best friend.” If you’re here, you may be...

The Financial Guilt of Keeping a Sick Pet Alive (And Why It’s Okay to Stop)

The Financial Guilt of Keeping a Sick Pet Alive (And Why It’s Okay to Stop)

There’s a moment many families remember with painful clarity: the vet is speaking gently, but the numbers on the estimate feel loud. Maybe it’s a new medication that costs more...

The "Too Soon" vs. "Too Late" Dilemma: A Guide to the Final Decision

The "Too Soon" vs. "Too Late" Dilemma: A Guide to the Final Decision

If you’re reading this, you may be living inside one of the hardest questions a family ever carries: Are we choosing euthanasia too soon… or too late? It’s a dilemma...

Grieving the Loss of a Cat After Euthanasia: Letting Go of Blame and Regret

Grieving the Loss of a Cat After Euthanasia: Letting Go of Blame and Regret

The hardest part about saying goodbye to a cat is that so much of the relationship is quiet. Cats love in glances, in routines, in the soft weight of a...

Creating a Goodbye Ritual for Your Pet: Ideas for a Peaceful Final Day

Creating a Goodbye Ritual for Your Pet: Ideas for a Peaceful Final Day

There’s a particular kind of heartbreak that comes with knowing your pet’s time is near. You may be balancing medical decisions, scheduling a euthanasia appointment, watching energy fade, and trying...

Comforting Children at a Pet's Euthanasia Appointment

Comforting Children at a Pet's Euthanasia Appointment

There are few moments in family life that feel as heavy—and as tender—as a pet’s euthanasia appointment. Adults often describe it as a “final act of love,” but for kids,...