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.

Grieving a Parrot: Why Bird Loss Hits Differently (Long Lifespans, Bonding, and Rituals That Help) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Grieving a Parrot: Why Bird Loss Hits Differently (Long Lifespans, Bonding, and Rituals That Help)

If you’re grieving a parrot, you may be carrying a specific kind of heartbreak: the loss of a companion who wasn’t “just a pet,” but a daily presence with opinions,...

Nose Prints for Pets: A Unique Identifier, How to Capture One, and Preservation Tips - Funeral.com, Inc.

Nose Prints for Pets: A Unique Identifier, How to Capture One, and Preservation Tips

There are a handful of small details most families remember with surprising clarity after a pet is gone: the weight of a head resting on your knee, the soft sound...

Paw Prints After Pet Death: Clay vs. Ink vs. Foam (Which Looks Best and Lasts Longest) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Paw Prints After Pet Death: Clay vs. Ink vs. Foam (Which Looks Best and Lasts Longest)

After a pet dies, time does something strange. Minutes can feel too fast, and the next days can feel slow and unreal. In the middle of that, a paw print...

Keeping a Pet Skull: Legal and Ethical Considerations and Safe, Respectful Cleaning Options - Funeral.com, Inc.

Keeping a Pet Skull: Legal and Ethical Considerations and Safe, Respectful Cleaning Options

There’s a particular kind of grief that shows up after a pet dies—quiet, domestic, and strangely physical. Their food bowl is still by the wall. The leash is still hung...

Bloat (GDV) Emergency Decisions: Recognizing Signs Fast and Understanding Surgery vs. Euthanasia Choices - Funeral.com, Inc.

Bloat (GDV) Emergency Decisions: Recognizing Signs Fast and Understanding Surgery vs. Euthanasia Choices

There are medical emergencies that feel loud—an obvious injury, a dramatic accident—and then there are emergencies that can look like “something is off” until they suddenly aren’t survivable. A GDV...

Parvo Puppy Loss: What Happens Fast, How Families Grieve, and How to Protect Other Dogs - Funeral.com, Inc.

Parvo Puppy Loss: What Happens Fast, How Families Grieve, and How to Protect Other Dogs

When Parvo Moves Faster Than Your Heart Can Catch Up There are losses that unfold with a kind of terrible speed, where your mind is still living in “yesterday” while...

Cancer and Quality of Life: When to Stop Chemo and Shift to Palliative Care for Pets - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cancer and Quality of Life: When to Stop Chemo and Shift to Palliative Care for Pets

One of the hardest parts of loving an animal is realizing that medicine can’t always “fix” what’s happening—sometimes it can only change how it feels. If you’re searching when to...

At-Home Oxygen Cages for Pets: How They Help, What Equipment Is Used, and the Safety Checks That Matter Most - Funeral.com, Inc.

At-Home Oxygen Cages for Pets: How They Help, What Equipment Is Used, and the Safety Checks That Matter Most

When a dog or cat is struggling to breathe, time narrows. You stop thinking in broad plans and start thinking in simple, urgent questions: Are they getting enough air? Are...

Pet Cremation ID Discs: How They Work and How to Confirm You’re Getting the Right Ashes Back - Funeral.com, Inc.

Pet Cremation ID Discs: How They Work and How to Confirm You’re Getting the Right Ashes Back

When a pet dies, grief can feel strangely split in two. Part of you is trying to absorb the silence where a familiar sound used to live: nails on the...

Private vs. Communal Pet Cremation: What “Tracking” Really Means and What Guarantees Exist - Funeral.com, Inc.

Private vs. Communal Pet Cremation: What “Tracking” Really Means and What Guarantees Exist

The paperwork arrives when your heart is still catching up. One moment you’re hearing the last words you never wanted to hear, and the next you’re looking at a form...

Surviving Pets and the Body: Should You Let Them Sniff? What Behavior Experts Say - Funeral.com, Inc.

Surviving Pets and the Body: Should You Let Them Sniff? What Behavior Experts Say

The question usually arrives in a hush, as if saying it out loud might make the loss more real: after one pet dies, should the surviving dog or cat be...

Bladder and Bowel Release After Pet Death: What’s Normal and How to Prepare Without Panic - Funeral.com, Inc.

Bladder and Bowel Release After Pet Death: What’s Normal and How to Prepare Without Panic

There are certain fears people don’t say out loud until the appointment is already on the calendar, or until the quietest hour of the night when a pet’s breathing changes...

Why Pets’ Eyes Stay Open After Death: The Simple Muscle-Relaxation Explanation (and What You Can Do) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Why Pets’ Eyes Stay Open After Death: The Simple Muscle-Relaxation Explanation (and What You Can Do)

The moment a beloved animal dies can feel unreal, even when you knew it was coming. Your mind may be prepared for the quiet, for the stillness, for the sudden...

Sedation Before Pet Euthanasia: Why Some Pets ‘Fight It’ and How Vets Plan for a Peaceful Goodbye - Funeral.com, Inc.

Sedation Before Pet Euthanasia: Why Some Pets ‘Fight It’ and How Vets Plan for a Peaceful Goodbye

When a family schedules euthanasia, most people picture a quiet, gentle moment: a beloved dog’s head resting in a familiar lap, a cat tucked into a soft blanket, breathing slowing...

The Two-Injection Method in Pet Euthanasia: Sedation/Anesthesia First, Then the Final Medication - Funeral.com, Inc.

The Two-Injection Method in Pet Euthanasia: Sedation/Anesthesia First, Then the Final Medication

If you’re reading this, you may be standing in one of the hardest places a family can stand: loving a dog or cat enough to consider letting them go. Even...

In-Home Pet Euthanasia: Typical Costs, What’s Included, and Pros & Cons for Families - Funeral.com, Inc.

In-Home Pet Euthanasia: Typical Costs, What’s Included, and Pros & Cons for Families

The last days with a beloved animal rarely follow a neat timeline. A dog who has always been “fine” can suddenly stop eating. A cat who has managed kidney disease...