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 for People With Disabilities: Unique Needs and Support

Pet Loss for People With Disabilities: Unique Needs and Support

For many people living with disabilities, a pet is far more than “just” a companion. A dog may steady a wheelchair or guide you safely across a busy street. A...

How to Tell Children a Pet Has Died When They Weren’t There

How to Tell Children a Pet Has Died When They Weren’t There

For many families, a pet’s last moments happen away from home. A dog may be euthanized at the vet after a sudden emergency. A cat might die while a child...

Helping Neurodivergent Kids and Teens Cope With Pet Loss

Helping Neurodivergent Kids and Teens Cope With Pet Loss

When a beloved pet dies, the whole rhythm of a household changes. For neurodivergent kids and teens—including autistic children, young people with ADHD, or those with other learning and processing...

Pet Memorial Ideas for Cemeteries and at Home: Stones, Markers, and Everyday Keepsakes

Pet Memorial Ideas for Cemeteries and at Home: Stones, Markers, and Everyday Keepsakes

When a beloved pet dies, the world can suddenly feel too quiet. The leash hanging by the door, the empty bed in the corner, and the way your body still...

Preparing Your Heart for the Death of an Aging Pet

Preparing Your Heart for the Death of an Aging Pet

There is a moment many pet parents remember with startling clarity: you look at your dog or cat and suddenly notice how white their muzzle has become, how slowly they...

Is Backyard Pet Burial Legal? Pet Burial Laws by State and Safer Alternatives

Is Backyard Pet Burial Legal? Pet Burial Laws by State and Safer Alternatives

When a pet dies, many families have the same first instinct: bring them home and bury them in the yard they loved. You might imagine a quiet spot under a...

Pet Cremation Cost by State: What to Expect and How to Compare Quotes

Pet Cremation Cost by State: What to Expect and How to Compare Quotes

When a pet dies, most people are not thinking about line items and taxes. They are thinking about the collar by the door, the empty food bowl, and how quickly...

How to Talk to Your Vet About Pet Euthanasia and Aftercare Options

How to Talk to Your Vet About Pet Euthanasia and Aftercare Options

There comes a moment in many pet owners’ lives when the unspoken question finally enters the room with the veterinarian. It might appear as a quiet pause after test results,...

Creating a Memory Box for Your Pet: What to Include

Creating a Memory Box for Your Pet: What to Include

When a beloved pet dies, the silence can feel almost as loud as their bark, purr, or cheerful footsteps once did. The leash hanging by the door, the empty bed...

Honoring a Pet in Your Will or Estate Plan

Honoring a Pet in Your Will or Estate Plan

For many people, a dog, cat, or other companion animal is woven into daily life as deeply as any human family member. You notice it in small routines: the expectant...

Why Pet Loss Feels So Lonely (and How to Find People Who Truly Get It)

Why Pet Loss Feels So Lonely (and How to Find People Who Truly Get It)

When a pet dies, the world often looks the same from the outside, but feels unrecognizably different on the inside. You still go to work, answer emails, pay bills, and...

Pet Loss and Mental Health: Anxiety, Depression, and When to Seek Extra Support

Pet Loss and Mental Health: Anxiety, Depression, and When to Seek Extra Support

If you are grieving a pet and also noticing your anxiety or depression getting worse, you are not “too sensitive,” and you are not alone. For many people, losing a...

Budgeting for End-of-Life Pet Care

Budgeting for End-of-Life Pet Care

When a pet starts to slow down or receives a serious diagnosis, your heart usually reacts long before your bank account does. You might be focused on whether they are...

Healing Rituals for the First 30 Days After a Pet Dies

Healing Rituals for the First 30 Days After a Pet Dies

When a pet dies, time does not move in neat calendar blocks. The first 30 days after a pet dies can feel both endless and blurred—mornings without a familiar routine,...

Giving Away Pet Items: When to Hold On and When to Let Go

Giving Away Pet Items: When to Hold On and When to Let Go

Sometime after a pet dies, there is a quiet moment when you open the closet, or walk past the food bowl, and realize that their things are still exactly where...

Pet Aftercare Options Explained: Home Burial, Cemetery Burial, Cremation, and Alternatives

Pet Aftercare Options Explained: Home Burial, Cemetery Burial, Cremation, and Alternatives

When a pet dies, the first feeling is usually not practical at all. It is the silence by the food bowl, the empty spot on the couch, the way the...