This article is all about pet memory.
Pets are much more than fun companions. They can be truly loving members of the family. So, if you lose a pet, you might decide to celebrate and honor their life, just as you would if you lost a human loved one.
Animals are not human, but they’re often seen as members of their families. If your dog or your beloved pet dies, a memory box or garden memorial might be the perfect way to pay them tribute.
Memorial Gardens
Whether you want to memorialize the life of a dog, cat, bird, rabbit, horse, or other animal, memorial gardens can be an ideal way to create a memorial at home. Here are some options for a memorial garden.
1. Garden walking path
If you’re commemorating the life of a dog, consider installing a special walking path that travels around your back or front yard garden. Walk the path and be reminded of the many walks you enjoyed with your dog, and the hours of companionship you experienced together.
2. Indoor urn garden
If you cremated your pet, you might consider creating a small indoor urn garden with your pet’s cremation. You can display the urn along side a Bonzai tree and a few mementos from your beloved furry or feathered friend.
3. Pet statuary, bath, or pond
There are many options when it comes to pet statuary. You can purchase statues of dogs and cats at almost any garden supply store. Birdbaths might be a fitting tribute to a feathered friend, while installing a pond can pay tribute to a beloved fish.
4. Bird feeder
Consider placing a bird feeder in the middle of your garden to draw birds of all kinds into your back or front yard. Not only with the memory of your feathered friend be a source of comfort, but you’ll keep their legacy alive by providing food for other birds in the area.
5. Garden bench
Consider placing a garden bench in the exact spot that your dog used to sunbathe, sleep, or roll around. By visiting the spot in remembrance, you’ll be gifted with a place to remember your furry friend and the opportunity to see the world from their point of view.
6. Pawprint pathway
If your garden area is smaller, consider creating a pawprint pathway from your front or back door to the garden area. You can purchase garden stones that have the impression of a paw print to remember your dog or cat.
Memory Boxes
Sometimes a physical memorial isn’t enough, and you want to go an extra step in creating a place to store your furry friend’s special things. For this, you’ll want to create a memory box. Here are a few things you can include in your pet’s memory box.
7. Collar
A pet’s collar has all of their identifying information such as their name, their owner’s names, and even their nickname. It’s something you see your pet wearing all the time, since it never gets taken off. Place the collar in their memory box so you can take it out from time to time and remember them wearing it.
8. Favorite toys
Consider placing a few of their favorite toys into the memory box, as well. These would be the toys they played with all the time. It could be your cat’s favorite mouse or your dog’s favorite tennis ball. Maybe you have a bird and you want to put their favorite bell or mirror. Any toys your pet regularly played with make ideal objects to place in their memory box.
9. Outfits
Did you dress up your furry friend for all the holidays? If so, consider putting an outfit inside that you loved seeing them wear. Then, when the holidays come around, you can pull it out and remember how they looked while wearing a leprechaun’s hat or a Christmas sweater.
10. Pictures
Print out and include some of your favorite pictures you have with your pet. These are the memories you’ll get to relive, look back on, and think about every time you open up their memory box.
11. Urn
If you don’t want to display the urn, then consider placing it inside your pet’s memory box. This is an ideal place to keep it, along with all of their favorite and cherished items. Make sure to seal it before you place it in the box, so the contents won’t spill out of the urn if the box tips over.
12. Hair or feathers
Some owners like adding a hair clipping or a feather or two, depending on which animal you had as a pet. Be sure to place either object in a clear plastic ziplock bag so they won’t get damaged.
13. Christmas ornament
Did you get a Christmas ornament the first year you got your new pet? Consider adding the Christmas ornament that marked their entry into your home to the memory box. Another option is to take it out of the memory box each year to put it on the tree in remembrance, and then place it back in the box until the holidays come around again.
14. Blanket
If you’re creating a cat memory box, you can likely fold up and fit their favorite blanket inside. If the blanket is for a dog or larger animal, then you might want to cut a square of it to include in the box, instead.
Memorializing Your Beloved Pet
There are plenty of ways to honor the memory of your pet. Creating a garden memorial or making a memory box are only two. If you want to keep your pet’s memory close, create a way to remember them that works best for you. Whether you place your pet’s cremation in an urn and display it in your home, or you place it in a memory box, you’re sure to be reminded of their memory and love each time you look at it.
