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.

Should You Stay in the Room During Pet Euthanasia? A Compassionate Guide to the Emotional Choice - Funeral.com, Inc.

Should You Stay in the Room During Pet Euthanasia? A Compassionate Guide to the Emotional Choice

There are decisions in life that feel like they belong to someone else—choices you never expected to make, in a room you never wanted to sit in. If you’re facing...

The Two-Injection Method in Pet Euthanasia: Sedation/Anesthesia First, Then the Final Medication - Funeral.com, Inc.

The Two-Injection Method in Pet Euthanasia: Sedation/Anesthesia First, Then the Final Medication

If you’re reading this, you may be standing in one of the hardest places a family can stand: loving a dog or cat enough to consider letting them go. Even...

In-Home Pet Euthanasia: Typical Costs, What’s Included, and Pros & Cons for Families - Funeral.com, Inc.

In-Home Pet Euthanasia: Typical Costs, What’s Included, and Pros & Cons for Families

The last days with a beloved animal rarely follow a neat timeline. A dog who has always been “fine” can suddenly stop eating. A cat who has managed kidney disease...

Talking to a Child About Euthanasia and Cremation: Age-Appropriate Wording - Funeral.com, Inc.

Talking to a Child About Euthanasia and Cremation: Age-Appropriate Wording

When a family is facing a pet’s decline, adults often carry two kinds of grief at once. There’s the heartbreak of watching a beloved companion suffer, and there’s the quieter...

Pet End of Life Care: Comfort Planning, Euthanasia Decisions, and What Happens After - Funeral.com, Inc.

Pet End of Life Care: Comfort Planning, Euthanasia Decisions, and What Happens After

Pet end of life care is one of those phrases that sounds clinical until you’re living it. In real life, it looks like a dog who still wags their tail...

When to Put a Pet Down: A Compassionate, Clear Guide to Knowing When It’s Time - Funeral.com, Inc.

When to Put a Pet Down: A Compassionate, Clear Guide to Knowing When It’s Time

Wondering when to put a pet down is one of the most painful questions a family can face, because it sits right at the intersection of love and responsibility. Most...

What to Say to Someone Facing Pet Euthanasia (and What Not to Say) - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Say to Someone Facing Pet Euthanasia (and What Not to Say)

Most people don’t freeze because they don’t care. They freeze because they care deeply and they’re terrified of making it worse. A friend texts you, “We think it’s time,” or...

Should We Schedule Euthanasia Now or Wait? How Families Decide - Funeral.com, Inc.

Should We Schedule Euthanasia Now or Wait? How Families Decide

When families ask, “Should we schedule euthanasia now or wait?”, they are usually holding two fears at the same time. One fear is doing it too soon and living with...

Is It Time to Say Goodbye? A Quality-of-Life Approach Vets Use - Funeral.com, Inc.

Is It Time to Say Goodbye? A Quality-of-Life Approach Vets Use

There’s a particular kind of heartbreak that shows up in the late-night search for answers. Your pet is still here, still breathing, still leaning into your hand in a familiar...

At-Home vs. In-Clinic Euthanasia: How Families Choose (Comfort, Timing, Logistics) - Funeral.com, Inc.

At-Home vs. In-Clinic Euthanasia: How Families Choose (Comfort, Timing, Logistics)

Most families don’t choose between at-home and in-clinic euthanasia because one sounds “better.” They choose because they are trying to solve a very specific problem: how to make a hard...

What Happens During Pet Euthanasia: A Step-by-Step Explanation That Reduces Fear - Funeral.com, Inc.

What Happens During Pet Euthanasia: A Step-by-Step Explanation That Reduces Fear

Fear usually grows in the blank spaces. When you haven’t seen something before, your mind fills in the missing details with worst-case images, and pet euthanasia is one of the...

How Long Does Pet Grief Last? Signs of Grieving in Dogs and Cats (and How to Help) - Funeral.com, Inc.

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 - Funeral.com, Inc.

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 - Funeral.com, Inc.

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 - Funeral.com, Inc.

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 - Funeral.com, Inc.

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...