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 Urns & Pet Keepsake Jewelry: Choosing a Memorial That Feels Right

Pet Urns & Pet Keepsake Jewelry: Choosing a Memorial That Feels Right

The absence of a beloved pet changes the rhythm of a home. A familiar silence settles in places where their presence once lived, and small objects, a bowl, a favorite...

Pet Cremation: A Practical & Emotional Guide for Families

Pet Cremation: A Practical & Emotional Guide for Families

The quiet moments in your home feel different when a beloved companion is no longer there. The walks, the naps beside you, the little routines that filled your days with...

Coordinating Memorial Dates for Both Pets and People: Avoiding Overwhelm While Honoring Everyone

Coordinating Memorial Dates for Both Pets and People: Avoiding Overwhelm While Honoring Everyone

When the Calendar Starts to Feel Heavy For many families, loss does not happen just once. A parent dies, then years later a spouse. A beloved dog is euthanized after...

Why Losing a Pet Hurts So Deeply (and Why Your Grief Is Real)

Why Losing a Pet Hurts So Deeply (and Why Your Grief Is Real)

If you are reading this after losing a pet, there is a good chance you are surprised by how hard it is hitting you. You might find yourself crying in...

Should You See or Hold Your Pet After They Have Passed? What People Say Helps

Should You See or Hold Your Pet After They Have Passed? What People Say Helps

There are moments in life that arrive without preparation, moments that ask your heart to make a decision it never wanted to face. Standing at the edge of goodbye with...

Going Back to Work After a Death or Pet Loss: Managing Grief in a Workplace Setting

Going Back to Work After a Death or Pet Loss: Managing Grief in a Workplace Setting

Going back to work after someone you love has died—whether that is a parent, partner, friend, or a beloved pet—can feel like stepping onto a moving treadmill when you are...

Talking About Pet Loss in Therapy: What to Expect and How It Can Help

Talking About Pet Loss in Therapy: What to Expect and How It Can Help

When a beloved dog, cat, or other companion animal dies, the grief can feel just as intense as losing a person you love. Research backs this up: surveys show that...

Explaining Pet Euthanasia to Children: Gentle Language for a Very Hard Topic

Explaining Pet Euthanasia to Children: Gentle Language for a Very Hard Topic

When a beloved pet is very sick or in pain, adults often find themselves wrestling with two heartbreaks at once: the decision to choose euthanasia, and the question of explaining...

Pet Loss Grief vs. Human Loss: Why the Pain Can Feel the Same

Pet Loss Grief vs. Human Loss: Why the Pain Can Feel the Same

If you are grieving a pet and wondering why it hurts as much as, or even more than, losing a person, you are not imagining it. For many people, the...

Cremation Urns, Pet Urns, and Cremation Jewelry: A Practical Guide for Real Families

Cremation Urns, Pet Urns, and Cremation Jewelry: A Practical Guide for Real Families

The moment a loved one passes, families are faced with a mix of practical and emotional decisions. Cremation brings choices that extend beyond paperwork, deciding where ashes will live, how...

Choosing a Pet Urn for Ashes: How to Make It Feel Like Them

Choosing a Pet Urn for Ashes: How to Make It Feel Like Them

When a beloved pet passes away at home, the moment can feel surreal. One instant, you are hearing the soft thud of paws across the floor, feeling the warm weight...

Cremation Urns, Pet Urns, and Cremation Jewelry: A Gentle Guide to Your Options

Cremation Urns, Pet Urns, and Cremation Jewelry: A Gentle Guide to Your Options

When a loved one passes, whether a person or a pet, you are suddenly faced with choices you never expected to make. One of the most personal is deciding what...

Cremation Urns, Pet Urns, and Cremation Jewelry: A Gentle Guide to Keeping Ashes Close

Cremation Urns, Pet Urns, and Cremation Jewelry: A Gentle Guide to Keeping Ashes Close

If you are reading this, you may be somewhere in the middle of funeral planning, trying to make decisions you never imagined having to make. Or you may simply be...

Pets at Funerals and Memorials: When It Works, When It Doesn’t, and How to Prepare

Pets at Funerals and Memorials: When It Works, When It Doesn’t, and How to Prepare

Bringing a pet to a funeral or memorial can be a profoundly moving and comforting experience, offering a sense of companionship and emotional support during a time of grief. For...

Pet Urn Types and Materials: Choosing the Right Urn for Your Dog or Cat

Pet Urn Types and Materials: Choosing the Right Urn for Your Dog or Cat

The bond between a pet and their family is unlike any other, a silent companionship, a source of joy, and a constant presence in everyday life. When it comes time...

Coping with the Loss of a Pet: Grief Stages, Support, and Memorial Ideas

Coping with the Loss of a Pet: Grief Stages, Support, and Memorial Ideas

If you are reading this because you are coping with the loss of a pet, please know you’re not alone. For so many people, pets are family. Saying goodbye to...