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.

The Loneliness of Losing a Pet When You Live Alone

The Loneliness of Losing a Pet When You Live Alone

When you live alone, a pet is never “just a pet.” They are the one who greets you at the door, the one who listens to your voice in the...

When a Pet Dies in an Accident: Trauma, Guilt, and How to Begin Healing

When a Pet Dies in an Accident: Trauma, Guilt, and How to Begin Healing

The world can change in an instant. When a pet dies suddenly in an accident, grief often hits like a shockwave. One moment, life feels ordinary; the next, everything is...

Sleeping After a Pet Dies: Why Nights Are So Hard and How to Cope

Sleeping After a Pet Dies: Why Nights Are So Hard and How to Cope

The first nights after a pet dies are often some of the longest of your life. Days can feel heavy, but nights carry a unique weight, made of silence, emptiness,...

Feeling Guilty About Loving a New Pet After a Loss

Feeling Guilty About Loving a New Pet After a Loss

Bringing a new pet into your home after a loss can feel like stepping into two worlds at once. On one side is the love you still hold for the...

Grieving the Loss of a Cat: The Quiet, Deep Bond You’re Mourning

Grieving the Loss of a Cat: The Quiet, Deep Bond You’re Mourning

There is a particular kind of grief that follows the loss of a cat. It does not always roar. It does not always appear dramatic to others. Instead, it settles...

What Is a Good Gift for Someone Who Has Lost a Loved One?

What Is a Good Gift for Someone Who Has Lost a Loved One?

When someone you care about is grieving, the instinct to help can feel urgent and tender at the same time. You might sit awake at night scrolling through sympathy gifts,...

Honoring Your Pet Through Volunteering: Turning Grief Into Quiet Action

Honoring Your Pet Through Volunteering: Turning Grief Into Quiet Action

When a much-loved animal dies, the silence can feel louder than anything. You may still move through the same routines—filling a food bowl that no longer needs filling, glancing at...

Pet Loss and Pregnancy or Postpartum: Grieving While Caring for a Baby

Pet Loss and Pregnancy or Postpartum: Grieving While Caring for a Baby

There are seasons of life that feel almost too full for one human heart. Being pregnant or caring for a newborn is already one of them. When a beloved pet...

When a Small Pet Dies: Why Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, Rabbits, and Other “Little Ones” Leave Such a Big Hole

When a Small Pet Dies: Why Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, Rabbits, and Other “Little Ones” Leave Such a Big Hole

People often assume that losing a small pet should hurt less. They look at their size and imagine that the grief must somehow match it. But anyone who has loved...

When Your Pet Dies at Home: What to Do Next, Practically and Emotionally

When Your Pet Dies at Home: What to Do Next, Practically and Emotionally

When a pet dies at home, life can seem to stop in an instant. One moment they are struggling, resting, or simply aging in front of you, and the next,...

Pet Loss in the Age of Social Media: The Comfort and Pressure of Public Grieving

Pet Loss in the Age of Social Media: The Comfort and Pressure of Public Grieving

When grief goes online Not very long ago, losing a pet meant phone calls, a few printed photos, and quiet conversations at home. Today, for many people, the very first...

Pre-Grieving a Pet: Coping When You Know Goodbye Is Coming Soon

Pre-Grieving a Pet: Coping When You Know Goodbye Is Coming Soon

There is a particular kind of grief that begins while a pet is still alive. You may be sitting on the floor, stroking an aging dog’s graying muzzle or listening...

Writing a Goodbye Letter to Your Pet: Prompts and Examples to Help You Start

Writing a Goodbye Letter to Your Pet: Prompts and Examples to Help You Start

When you lose a pet, your mind often fills with unfinished conversations. You may replay the last day, wish you had said something different, or feel an ache because there...

Pet Euthanasia Guilt: What to Do When You Keep Asking 'Did I Do the Right Thing?

Pet Euthanasia Guilt: What to Do When You Keep Asking 'Did I Do the Right Thing?

There is a particular silence that follows euthanasia. It is not just the quiet house or the empty bed on the floor; it is the silence in your own mind...

Grieving the Loss of a Cat: Healing When Your Quiet Companion Is Gone

Grieving the Loss of a Cat: Healing When Your Quiet Companion Is Gone

When a dog dies, people tend to picture an empty leash and long walks that no longer happen. When a cat dies, the losses can feel quieter—but no less profound....

Do Pets Know They Are Dying? Gentle Thoughts for Worried Pet Parents

Do Pets Know They Are Dying? Gentle Thoughts for Worried Pet Parents

There is a particular kind of quiet that settles over a home when a beloved animal is nearing the end of life. Maybe your dog no longer rushes to the...