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.

What to Say to a Coworker Who Lost a Pet: Messages, Card Examples & Respectful Boundaries

What to Say to a Coworker Who Lost a Pet: Messages, Card Examples & Respectful Boundaries

There are losses people expect work to “understand”—a parent, a spouse, a child. And then there are losses that can feel strangely invisible in the workplace, even when they’re enormous...

Pet Loss &a Neurodiversity: Supporting Autistic Kids With Routine Loss, Literal Language & Sensory Grief

Pet Loss &a Neurodiversity: Supporting Autistic Kids With Routine Loss, Literal Language & Sensory Grief

When a pet dies, adults often expect grief to look like tears, talking, and a gradual “acceptance.” But for many autistic and otherwise neurodivergent kids, grief can show up sideways—through...

What to Say at a Funeral: Comforting Words for In-Person Condolences, Sympathy Cards, and Funeral Flowers

What to Say at a Funeral: Comforting Words for In-Person Condolences, Sympathy Cards, and Funeral Flowers

Most people don’t freeze at a funeral because they don’t care. They freeze because they care so much that they’re afraid of making grief worse. You step into a room...

When a Service Dog Dies: Grief, Identity Changes, and Practical Next Steps for Handlers

When a Service Dog Dies: Grief, Identity Changes, and Practical Next Steps for Handlers

When people say “I’m sorry for your loss,” they often picture a pet who slept at the foot of the bed or greeted you at the door. When a service...

Teen Pet Grief: Why It Can Look Like Anger, Numbness or Withdrawal (and How Adults Can Help)

Teen Pet Grief: Why It Can Look Like Anger, Numbness or Withdrawal (and How Adults Can Help)

When a teenager loses a pet, adults often expect tears, talking, and visible sadness. What they sometimes get instead is a slammed bedroom door, an eye roll, a short fuse,...

Pet Memory Box for Kids: Free Printable Template, Prompts & Simple Keepsake Ideas

Pet Memory Box for Kids: Free Printable Template, Prompts & Simple Keepsake Ideas

When a child loses a beloved pet, the grief can show up in small, surprising ways. One minute they seem fine, and the next they are crying because they found...

Appetite Changes After Pet Loss: Why Eating Is Hard & Small Steps That Help

Appetite Changes After Pet Loss: Why Eating Is Hard & Small Steps That Help

The day your pet dies, the world doesn’t just feel quieter. It can feel physically wrong—like your body forgot how to do the simplest things. If you’re dealing with loss of...

Bible Verses About Animals That Bring Comfort After Pet Loss

Bible Verses About Animals That Bring Comfort After Pet Loss

There is a particular kind of quiet that follows pet loss. It shows up in the places your life used to move automatically: the food bowl you keep forgetting to...

Answering Children’s Questions About Where Pets Go When They Die

Answering Children’s Questions About Where Pets Go When They Die

There is a particular kind of silence that arrives after a pet dies. It is not only the quiet of an empty food bowl or the absence of paws on...

Helping Children Through a Pet Funeral: Age-Appropriate Roles and Gentle Explanations

Helping Children Through a Pet Funeral: Age-Appropriate Roles and Gentle Explanations

A pet’s death can rearrange a household in a way adults don’t always expect. The routines that used to hold the day together—morning feeding, the familiar bark at the door,...

What to Say When Someone Dies: Condolence Messages That Actually Help

What to Say When Someone Dies: Condolence Messages That Actually Help

There’s a particular kind of helplessness that shows up when you hear the news: someone has died, and now you’re holding your phone, staring at a blank message field, thinking,...

The Rainbow Bridge Poem: History, Meaning, and Alternatives

The Rainbow Bridge Poem: History, Meaning, and Alternatives

If you’ve ever lost a pet, there’s a good chance someone sent you “Rainbow Bridge” within days—sometimes within hours. It often arrives with good intentions: a friend trying to offer...

Writing an Obituary for Your Cat: Examples and Templates

Writing an Obituary for Your Cat: Examples and Templates

There are some losses that change a home without making a sound. The water bowl stays full. The sunny spot on the floor stays warm. The familiar weight that used...

DIY Shadow Boxes: How to Preserve Collars, Tags, and Toys

DIY Shadow Boxes: How to Preserve Collars, Tags, and Toys

There are some items you don’t throw away—not because you’re stuck, but because your hands remember what it felt like to hold them in ordinary life. A collar that still...

Why Your Surviving Pet’s Personality Might Change Permanently

Why Your Surviving Pet’s Personality Might Change Permanently

After a pet dies, the house doesn’t just feel quieter to you—it can feel quieter to the animal who remains. Many families notice a shift that’s hard to describe but...

50 Meaningful Ways to Memorialize Your Pet (That Aren’t Tattoos)

50 Meaningful Ways to Memorialize Your Pet (That Aren’t Tattoos)

Some losses rearrange the furniture of your life. A leash that still hangs by the door. A food bowl you can’t bring yourself to move. The quiet at the hour...