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.

Bringing a Living Pet to a Funeral or Cemetery: Etiquette, Pros and Cons, and Safety Tips

Bringing a Living Pet to a Funeral or Cemetery: Etiquette, Pros and Cons, and Safety Tips

There’s a particular kind of quiet that settles around a funeral home chapel or a cemetery lane. It’s not just the absence of noise—it’s the feeling that everyone is carrying...

Online Support for Pet Loss: Forums, Groups, and How to Find a Safe, Caring Space

Online Support for Pet Loss: Forums, Groups, and How to Find a Safe, Caring Space

In the first days after a pet dies, the world can feel strangely loud and strangely quiet at the same time. Loud because life keeps moving—notifications, errands, people talking about...

When a Pet Dies Suddenly: Shock, Trauma, and How to Begin Healing

When a Pet Dies Suddenly: Shock, Trauma, and How to Begin Healing

There are losses we can imagine, and then there are the ones that split a day in two: before and after. When a pet dies suddenly—an accident at the curb,...

Grieving the Loss of a Service Dog or Therapy Animal: When Your Helper Was Also Family

Grieving the Loss of a Service Dog or Therapy Animal: When Your Helper Was Also Family

There are losses that rearrange your heart, and then there are losses that rearrange your whole life. When a service dog or therapy animal dies, grief doesn’t just show up...

Grieving the Loss of a Dog After Euthanasia: Making Peace With a Loving Choice

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...

Can’t Stop Replaying The Last Day? Grief Rumination After Pet Loss And How To Break The Loop

Can’t Stop Replaying The Last Day? Grief Rumination After Pet Loss And How To Break The Loop

If you feel trapped in a mental replay, replaying the last day of your pet like a scene your brain insists on revisiting, you’re not alone, and you’re not broken....

Social Anxiety and Grief: When Being Around People Feels Hard but Isolation Isn’t Helping Either

Social Anxiety and Grief: When Being Around People Feels Hard but Isolation Isn’t Helping Either

Social anxiety and grief can collide in a frustrating way. You may genuinely want support, but the moment someone texts “How are you holding up?” your chest tightens. A funeral,...

Pet Loss After Cancer: Anticipatory Grief, Caregiver Exhaustion, And Healing After A Long Illness

Pet Loss After Cancer: Anticipatory Grief, Caregiver Exhaustion, And Healing After A Long Illness

Grief following a pet’s long battle with cancer is often complex and layered, beginning quietly long before their passing. It can emerge during the weeks or months when life slowly...

Best Children’s Books About Pet Death: 20 Picks By Age And Discussion Questions For Families

Best Children’s Books About Pet Death: 20 Picks By Age And Discussion Questions For Families

If your child has lost a pet, you are often navigating two layers of grief at the same time: your own sorrow, and the heartbreak of watching someone you love...

Do You Really Need Embalming? When It’s Required, When It’s Optional, and Alternatives

Do You Really Need Embalming? When It’s Required, When It’s Optional, and Alternatives

The question usually shows up in the middle of a harder moment. A nurse hands you a folder. A funeral home calls back. A family group chat lights up with...

Dementia in Dogs: Grieving the Dog Who is Still Physically There

Dementia in Dogs: Grieving the Dog Who is Still Physically There

The first time it happens, you might not even call it “dementia.” It may look like stubbornness, or a new quirk, or a dog having an off day. Your older...

Euthanasia at the Shelter: The Trauma of Surrendering a Sick Pet

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...

Losing an Emotional Support Animal (ESA): The Double Hit to Mental Health

Losing an Emotional Support Animal (ESA): The Double Hit to Mental Health

The first thing many people notice after an Emotional Support Animal dies isn’t just the silence—it’s the missing rhythm. The familiar nudge at the edge of the bed. The soft...

If Your Pet Dies At Home: What To Do Next (Storage, Timing, Transport & Who To Call)

If Your Pet Dies At Home: What To Do Next (Storage, Timing, Transport & Who To Call)

When a pet dies at home, the experience can feel surreal. Grief, shock, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility often arrive all at once. In these first moments, it’s important...

Grieving the Loss of a Service Dog: Losing Your Independence

Grieving the Loss of a Service Dog: Losing Your Independence

When a service dog dies, people around you may try to comfort you in the familiar ways: “At least they’re not suffering.” “You gave them a beautiful life.” “You can...

Changing Breeds: Why Switching Might Help Your Grief

Changing Breeds: Why Switching Might Help Your Grief

In the first quiet days after a dog dies, many people discover that grief isn’t only sadness. It’s habit. It’s the sound your body expects to hear at the door,...