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.

Christian Views on Pets in Heaven: What Pastors, Theologians, and Ordinary Believers Say

Christian Views on Pets in Heaven: What Pastors, Theologians, and Ordinary Believers Say

When a beloved pet dies, many Christians find that their grief quickly turns into a deeper question: Will I ever see them again? You might hear very different answers, sometimes from...

When Families Disagree About Euthanasia: Navigating Conflict When a Pet Is Suffering

When Families Disagree About Euthanasia: Navigating Conflict When a Pet Is Suffering

When a pet you love is suffering, the question of euthanasia stops being abstract and becomes painfully real. One person looks at the dog who no longer eats and thinks,...

How to Bond with a New Pet When Your Heart Is Still Broken

How to Bond with a New Pet When Your Heart Is Still Broken

Grief has a way of soaking into the walls of a home. The empty bed in the corner, the worn spot on the couch, the way you still catch yourself...

Atheism and Pet Loss: Finding Comfort Without an Afterlife

Atheism and Pet Loss: Finding Comfort Without an Afterlife

When a beloved animal dies, the ache is often as sharp as any human loss. You may still catch yourself reaching for the leash, listening for paws on the floor,...

How Long Does Pet Grief Usually Last?

How Long Does Pet Grief Usually Last?

The loss of a pet can leave a profound emptiness that touches every corner of daily life. The absence of their presence, whether in the quiet moments at home, during...

What Are Some Simple Memorial Rituals I Can Do at Home?

What Are Some Simple Memorial Rituals I Can Do at Home?

Grieving a pet at home often brings an acute awareness of absence. The quiet spaces where your pet once slept, the corners of your home now strangely still, and the...

Is It Normal To Feel This Devastated After My Pet Dies?

Is It Normal To Feel This Devastated After My Pet Dies?

The emptiness hits in quiet moments, an empty food bowl, a bed no longer warmed by familiar weight, or the silence that greets you when you come home. You might...

How Do I Choose the Right Size Urn for My Pet?

How Do I Choose the Right Size Urn for My Pet?

When you first start looking at pet urns for ashes, it is easy to focus on color, shape, and style. Perhaps you see one that feels exactly like your dog’s...

Can Our Dead Pets Visit Us? Grief, Dreams, and Interpreting Unusual Experiences

Can Our Dead Pets Visit Us? Grief, Dreams, and Interpreting Unusual Experiences

When a beloved animal dies, the world can feel strangely doubled. Part of you knows the practical facts—you signed the euthanasia paperwork, you chose an urn, you carried home a...

Pet Cremation & Memorial FAQ

Pet Cremation & Memorial FAQ

My pet is getting older and declining. What should I be thinking about now? Caring for a pet means being prepared for every stage of their life, including the eventual...

Helping Seniors Cope With Pet Loss: Grief, Loneliness, and Everyday Support

Helping Seniors Cope With Pet Loss: Grief, Loneliness, and Everyday Support

When a senior loses a beloved pet, the impact goes far beyond simple sadness. For many older adults, a pet is more than a companion, it is a source of...

Scattering Pet Ashes: Legal Guidelines, Meaningful Locations, and Ceremony Ideas

Scattering Pet Ashes: Legal Guidelines, Meaningful Locations, and Ceremony Ideas

Finding yourself with a small container of cremated pet ashes can feel both surreal and heavy with emotion. Many pet owners want to honor their companion in a way that...

How to Plan a Pet Funeral or Memorial: Ceremonies, Costs, and Comforting Rituals

How to Plan a Pet Funeral or Memorial: Ceremonies, Costs, and Comforting Rituals

In many homes, pets are family, and when a dog, cat, or other companion passes away, the idea of simply dropping them off at a clinic without a chance to...

The Ethics of Cloning Your Deceased Pet

The Ethics of Cloning Your Deceased Pet

When a beloved pet dies, grief can make almost anything that promises “one more chance” feel tempting. News stories about celebrities cloning their dogs, or companies offering to recreate a...

Explaining Pet Death to Children Without Saying “They Went to Sleep”

Explaining Pet Death to Children Without Saying “They Went to Sleep”

For many families, a pet’s death is the first time a child comes face to face with loss. You are grieving yourself, making decisions about cremation, memorials, and what to...

How to Choose a Pet Urn or Memorial: A Simple Guide When You’re Grieving

How to Choose a Pet Urn or Memorial: A Simple Guide When You’re Grieving

Choosing a pet urn or memorial can feel both impossibly small and overwhelmingly huge at the same time. It is “just” an object, and yet it may become the way...