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 to Tell Kids a Pet Died: Age-by-Age Scripts (3–5, 6–9, 10–13 & Teens) & What Not to Say

How to Tell Kids a Pet Died: Age-by-Age Scripts (3–5, 6–9, 10–13 & Teens) & What Not to Say

There is a particular kind of heartbreak in realizing you have to do two hard things at once: grieve a pet you love, and help your child understand what just...

The 6-Month Pet Loss Dip: Why Grief Returns After “Doing Better” & How to Handle the Wave

The 6-Month Pet Loss Dip: Why Grief Returns After “Doing Better” & How to Handle the Wave

Somewhere around the half-year mark, many people have the same uneasy thought: “I was doing better. Why does it feel like I’m back at the beginning?” If you’re at 6...

One-Year Pet Loss Anniversary: Planning for Triggers, Creating Meaning, and Getting Through the Day

One-Year Pet Loss Anniversary: Planning for Triggers, Creating Meaning, and Getting Through the Day

The first year after losing a pet teaches you something you didn’t ask to learn: grief has a calendar. Some days arrive quietly, and others announce themselves the moment you...

30 Days After Pet Loss: What to Expect Emotionally (and 10 Ways to Honor the Bond)

30 Days After Pet Loss: What to Expect Emotionally (and 10 Ways to Honor the Bond)

At the one-month mark, a lot of people are surprised by what grief looks like. Not because they expected to feel “better,” exactly, but because the first few days often...

Phantom Sounds After Pet Loss: Why You Hear Them & How to Cope With Sensory Grief at Home

Phantom Sounds After Pet Loss: Why You Hear Them & How to Cope With Sensory Grief at Home

You’re standing at the sink and you swear you heard it: the soft tap of nails on the hallway floor. Or the familiar jingle of a collar when you turn...

First-Time Pet Parent Grief: Why It Hits Like Losing Family & How to Get Through It

First-Time Pet Parent Grief: Why It Hits Like Losing Family & How to Get Through It

Your first pet teaches you a kind of love that surprises you. It’s the love of routines that build quietly—morning paws on the floor, a familiar weight at your feet,...

Grieving a Pet You Inherited (or Didn’t Choose): Mixed Feelings, Guilt & Real Loss

Grieving a Pet You Inherited (or Didn’t Choose): Mixed Feelings, Guilt & Real Loss

There is a particular kind of heartbreak that doesn’t match the story we expect grief to follow. It happens when the pet who died wasn’t “your” pet in the clean,...

Grieving an Outdoor Cat or Barn Cat: When Love Doesn’t Look Traditional (But Loss Is Real)

Grieving an Outdoor Cat or Barn Cat: When Love Doesn’t Look Traditional (But Loss Is Real)

Some cats don’t live their love out loud. They don’t curl up on your pillow every night or greet guests at the door. They don’t have a vet file with...

When You’re the Only One Grieving a Pet: Uneven Grief in a Household and What to Do

When You’re the Only One Grieving a Pet: Uneven Grief in a Household and What to Do

It can feel like a second loss when your pet is gone and the people you live with don’t seem to be grieving the same way you are. You’re crying...

Pet Loss During the Holidays: Decorating, Traditions & Tender Boundaries That Protect Your Heart

Pet Loss During the Holidays: Decorating, Traditions & Tender Boundaries That Protect Your Heart

If you are facing pet loss during the holidays, you may notice something that feels almost unfair: the world gets louder and brighter at the exact moment your life feels...

Can’t Sleep After Pet Loss? A Nighttime Routine for the Empty House & Gentle Ways to Rest

Can’t Sleep After Pet Loss? A Nighttime Routine for the Empty House & Gentle Ways to Rest

If you are lying in bed staring at the ceiling, you are not doing grief “wrong.” In many homes, the hardest hours come after the lights go out, when the...

Pet Euthanasia Guilt: “Did I Do the Right Thing?” How to Quiet Doubt Without Self-Blame

Pet Euthanasia Guilt: “Did I Do the Right Thing?” How to Quiet Doubt Without Self-Blame

If you’re reading this with a tight chest and a looping thought that won’t let you rest—pet euthanasia guilt, regret after putting a pet to sleep, “did I do the...

Disenfranchised Pet Grief: Why Pet Loss Feels Invisible & How to Get the Support You Deserve

Disenfranchised Pet Grief: Why Pet Loss Feels Invisible & How to Get the Support You Deserve

The day you lose a pet, the world can feel strangely unchanged. Cars still move through intersections. People still answer emails. Someone might even ask, cheerfully, “How was your weekend?”—and...

The First 24 Hours After Losing a Pet: Shock, Physical Symptoms, and What Helps Right Now

The First 24 Hours After Losing a Pet: Shock, Physical Symptoms, and What Helps Right Now

The first day after a pet dies can feel unreal. One moment you are moving through a normal routine, and the next you are staring at an empty bed, an...

What Not to Say When Someone Loses a Pet: Common Phrases That Hurt and Better Alternatives

What Not to Say When Someone Loses a Pet: Common Phrases That Hurt and Better Alternatives

There is a particular kind of message that can stop you in your tracks: “We had to put her down today.” Or, “He’s gone.” When someone loses a pet, they...

White Candle Meaning in Remembrance: Memorial Candle Etiquette and Simple Ritual Ideas

White Candle Meaning in Remembrance: Memorial Candle Etiquette and Simple Ritual Ideas

There’s a reason so many families reach for a white candle when words don’t come easily. In grief, the mind can feel crowded—logistics, emotions, memories, and decisions all arriving at...