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.

Talking to Children About a Pet’s Death: Honest, Gentle Guidance for Families

Talking to Children About a Pet’s Death: Honest, Gentle Guidance for Families

Losing a beloved pet is often a child’s first encounter with the permanence of death. The wagging tail, the soft purrs, and the joyful companionship can vanish in an instant,...

Feeling Guilty About Loving a New Pet After a Loss

Feeling Guilty About Loving a New Pet After a Loss

Bringing a new pet into your home after a loss can feel like stepping into two worlds at once. On one side is the love you still hold for the...

Scattering Pet Ashes: Symbolic Places and Gentle Guidelines

Scattering Pet Ashes: Symbolic Places and Gentle Guidelines

When a beloved animal dies, time can feel strange. Days blur together, but one question may stand out sharply: what to do with ashes. If you chose or are considering...

Grieving the Loss of a Cat: The Quiet, Deep Bond You’re Mourning

Grieving the Loss of a Cat: The Quiet, Deep Bond You’re Mourning

There is a particular kind of grief that follows the loss of a cat. It does not always roar. It does not always appear dramatic to others. Instead, it settles...

What Is a Good Gift for Someone Who Has Lost a Loved One?

What Is a Good Gift for Someone Who Has Lost a Loved One?

When someone you care about is grieving, the instinct to help can feel urgent and tender at the same time. You might sit awake at night scrolling through sympathy gifts,...

Honoring Your Pet Through Volunteering: Turning Grief Into Quiet Action

Honoring Your Pet Through Volunteering: Turning Grief Into Quiet Action

When a much-loved animal dies, the silence can feel louder than anything. You may still move through the same routines—filling a food bowl that no longer needs filling, glancing at...

Pet Loss and Pregnancy or Postpartum: Grieving While Caring for a Baby

Pet Loss and Pregnancy or Postpartum: Grieving While Caring for a Baby

There are seasons of life that feel almost too full for one human heart. Being pregnant or caring for a newborn is already one of them. When a beloved pet...

How to Create a Pet Memorial Garden at Home: Design Ideas, Plants, and Personal Touches

How to Create a Pet Memorial Garden at Home: Design Ideas, Plants, and Personal Touches

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...

When a Small Pet Dies: Why Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, Rabbits, and Other “Little Ones” Leave Such a Big Hole

When a Small Pet Dies: Why Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, Rabbits, and Other “Little Ones” Leave Such a Big Hole

People often assume that losing a small pet should hurt less. They look at their size and imagine that the grief must somehow match it. But anyone who has loved...

Is It Okay to Bury Your Pet at Home? Legal, Safety, and Emotional Considerations

Is It Okay to Bury Your Pet at Home? Legal, Safety, and Emotional Considerations

When a beloved dog, cat, or other companion animal dies, many families feel a strong pull to lay them to rest at home. The backyard is where they chased balls,...

When Your Pet Dies at Home: What to Do Next, Practically and Emotionally

When Your Pet Dies at Home: What to Do Next, Practically and Emotionally

When a pet dies at home, life can seem to stop in an instant. One moment they are struggling, resting, or simply aging in front of you, and the next,...

Pet Loss in the Age of Social Media: The Comfort and Pressure of Public Grieving

Pet Loss in the Age of Social Media: The Comfort and Pressure of Public Grieving

When grief goes online Not very long ago, losing a pet meant phone calls, a few printed photos, and quiet conversations at home. Today, for many people, the very first...

Helping Kids Create a Pet Memorial: Simple Crafts and Rituals

Helping Kids Create a Pet Memorial: Simple Crafts and Rituals

When a beloved pet dies, adults often juggle calls to the vet, decisions about funeral planning, and practical questions like what to do with ashes. Children feel the same loss,...

Faith and Pet Loss: What Different Traditions Say About Animals and the Afterlife

Faith and Pet Loss: What Different Traditions Say About Animals and the Afterlife

When a beloved dog, cat, or other companion animal dies, it rarely feels like “just losing a pet.” For many people of faith, the bond with an animal is wrapped...

Rainbow Bridge and Beyond: Spiritual and Religious Views on Where Pets Go

Rainbow Bridge and Beyond: Spiritual and Religious Views on Where Pets Go

Why We Wonder Where Our Pets Have Gone When a pet dies, the silence they leave behind can feel louder than anything. You still see their favorite spot on the...

Pre-Grieving a Pet: Coping When You Know Goodbye Is Coming Soon

Pre-Grieving a Pet: Coping When You Know Goodbye Is Coming Soon

There is a particular kind of grief that begins while a pet is still alive. You may be sitting on the floor, stroking an aging dog’s graying muzzle or listening...