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.

Pet Loss After a Sudden Death vs. Long Illness: Why Grief Can Feel Different

Pet Loss After a Sudden Death vs. Long Illness: Why Grief Can Feel Different

Losing a pet hurts no matter how it happens. Whether your companion died suddenly in an accident or slipped away after a long illness, the silence they leave behind can...

When a Bird Dies: Understanding the Unique Grief of Avian Companionship

When a Bird Dies: Understanding the Unique Grief of Avian Companionship

When most people think of pet loss, they imagine dogs or cats—walks, cuddles, playful nuzzles, and daily routines that are easy to notice and remember. What they often don’t picture...

Celebrating Their Birthday After They’re Gone

Celebrating Their Birthday After They’re Gone

When a beloved pet dies, the calendar does not get the news. Their birthday or “gotcha day” still shows up in your phone, on the family wall calendar, or in...

Pet Loss Support Groups: Are They Right for You?

Pet Loss Support Groups: Are They Right for You?

Losing a pet can rearrange your whole world in a way that people around you do not always understand. The bed is emptier, the yard is quieter, and your routines...

Losing a Pet During a Divorce: The Battle for Ashes

Losing a Pet During a Divorce: The Battle for Ashes

Losing a pet is heartbreaking in any season of life. Losing a pet in the middle of a divorce or separation can feel almost unbearable. You may already be arguing...

When the Vet Makes a Mistake: Handling Anger and Grief

When the Vet Makes a Mistake: Handling Anger and Grief

Sometimes the worst part of losing a pet is not just that they are gone, but how it happened. You might find yourself replaying one specific moment in a clinic...

Dreaming of Your Deceased Pet: Psychology or Visitation?

Dreaming of Your Deceased Pet: Psychology or Visitation?

When a beloved animal dies, grief does not stay neatly contained in daylight hours. It often follows you into the night, showing up in vivid images: your dog racing down...

The First Christmas Without Them: Surviving the Holidays

The First Christmas Without Them: Surviving the Holidays

The first Christmas after a pet dies has a way of sneaking up on you. One moment you are scrolling past holiday sales and recipe ideas; the next, you see...

Missed Signs: Forgiving Yourself for Not Catching the Illness Sooner

Missed Signs: Forgiving Yourself for Not Catching the Illness Sooner

The moment you realize there were “signs” is often not at the vet’s office or in the middle of the emergency. It is days or weeks later, when the house...

Staying in the Room: Why Your Presence Matters During the Final Injection

Staying in the Room: Why Your Presence Matters During the Final Injection

When you schedule a euthanasia appointment, it can feel like your whole world shrinks down to one impossible question: Will I stay in the room for the final injection, or...

Grieving Exotic Pets: Birds, Rabbits, Reptiles, and More

Grieving Exotic Pets: Birds, Rabbits, Reptiles, and More

When people talk about pet loss, the conversation almost always centers on dogs and cats. But maybe the silence in your home comes from an empty birdcage, a terrarium with...

Disenfranchised Grief: When Your Loss Isn’t Recognized or Taken Seriously

Disenfranchised Grief: When Your Loss Isn’t Recognized or Taken Seriously

When you are grieving a loss that no one else seems to see, the world can feel strangely split in two. On the surface, you go to work, run errands,...

Creating Art as Pet Loss Therapy: Painting, Drawing, and Creative Expression

Creating Art as Pet Loss Therapy: Painting, Drawing, and Creative Expression

When a beloved animal dies, the world can suddenly feel strangely quiet and colorless. You may find yourself sitting in the spot where your dog curled up beside you, or...

Horse Loss: The Unique Pain of Losing a 1,000lb Partner

Horse Loss: The Unique Pain of Losing a 1,000lb Partner

The barn smells of straw and leather, the air filled with the soft rhythm of hooves you knew by heart. Every corner holds a memory of shared rides, quiet afternoons,...

Pet Loss and Couples: How to Stay Close Instead of Drifting Apart

Pet Loss and Couples: How to Stay Close Instead of Drifting Apart

When a shared pet dies, the loss doesn’t just leave an empty bed or a quiet corner of the house. It can shift the entire rhythm of a relationship. The...

Pet Loss for Veterinary Staff and Techs: Grief Behind the Exam Room Door

Pet Loss for Veterinary Staff and Techs: Grief Behind the Exam Room Door

When a family walks into a clinic with a sick or aging pet, the room fills with visible emotion: tearful questions, anxious glances at the veterinarian, hands curled in fur....