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 and the Rainbow Bridge: Comforting Story or Painful Myth?

Pet Loss and the Rainbow Bridge: Comforting Story or Painful Myth?

Why the Rainbow Bridge Story Matters So Much If you have ever lost a beloved animal, there is a good chance someone has sent you the Rainbow Bridge story. It...

Planting a Garden for Your Pet: Living Memorial Ideas for Dog and Cat Lovers

Planting a Garden for Your Pet: Living Memorial Ideas for Dog and Cat Lovers

When a pet dies, the whole house feels different. The quiet by the food bowl, the empty spot on the couch, the way the yard suddenly looks a little too...

Memorializing a Pet at Home: Altars, Photos, Candles, and Everyday Rituals

Memorializing a Pet at Home: Altars, Photos, Candles, and Everyday Rituals

When a beloved pet dies, the house can feel strangely hollow. You still catch yourself glancing at their bed, listening for paws on the floor, or reaching for a leash...

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 Much Does Pet Cremation Cost? Current Price Ranges and What Affects the Total

How Much Does Pet Cremation Cost? Current Price Ranges and What Affects the Total

When a pet dies, there is usually a moment when the practical question no one wants to ask finally surfaces: how much is dog cremation or cat cremation price, and what...

Guilt After Pet Euthanasia: What’s Normal, What Isn’t, and How to Heal

Guilt After Pet Euthanasia: What’s Normal, What Isn’t, and How to Heal

There are few decisions in life as heart-wrenching as choosing euthanasia for a beloved pet. Even when your heart knows that their suffering has become unbearable and that their body...

How to Support a Partner After a Pet Loss: Different Grief Styles, Same Love

How to Support a Partner After a Pet Loss: Different Grief Styles, Same Love

Some companions leave paw prints not just on your home, but on your heart. They are part of your routines, your quiet moments, your laughter, and even your challenges. When...

Parents Losing the Family Pet: Making Space for Their Grief Too

Parents Losing the Family Pet: Making Space for Their Grief Too

The loss of a family pet ripples through every corner of a household, touching hearts in ways that words can scarcely capture, yet parents’ grief often goes quietly unseen and...

Helping Children Understand the Death of a Pet: Gentle Words That Help

Helping Children Understand the Death of a Pet: Gentle Words That Help

A beloved pet is more than a companion, they are a constant presence, a listener, a playmate, and a source of comfort. When a pet passes away, it can shake...

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,...

Explaining a Pet’s Death to Other Pets in the Home

Explaining a Pet’s Death to Other Pets in the Home

The quiet hits first. The spot where they used to curl up is empty. The soft padding of paws that once echoed through your home is gone. The routines that...

Cleaning the House After a Pet Dies: Grief, Messes, and Making Space for Memory

Cleaning the House After a Pet Dies: Grief, Messes, and Making Space for Memory

Your home carries the echoes of countless shared moments: the soft shuffle of paws across the floor, a sunbeam warmed by a curled-up body, a favorite toy tucked under the...

Choosing a Pet Urn: Sizes, Materials, and What Fits Your Pet’s Ashes

Choosing a Pet Urn: Sizes, Materials, and What Fits Your Pet’s Ashes

There comes a moment, often a week or two after a pet passes, when the grief that once felt unshaped begins to settle into a new, quieter rhythm. You might...

Home Burial vs. Pet Cremation: Legal and Emotional Considerations

Home Burial vs. Pet Cremation: Legal and Emotional Considerations

Every pet leaves a unique mark on your home and heart, creating memories that stay long after they are gone. Choosing how to honor those memories—whether to bury them at...

Scattering Pet Ashes: Places, Permissions, and Emotional Meaning

Scattering Pet Ashes: Places, Permissions, and Emotional Meaning

There is a particular moment after a pet has passed and their ashes have returned home when you find yourself standing before the pet urn and wondering what comes next....