Ways to Remember Your Pet After It Has Passed On

You would be an unusual person indeed if, snuggling your soft new puppy, you thought about ways to remember your pet after it has passed on. The thought of death rarely crosses a person’s mind at such a wriggling, full-of-life moment. We usually live as though our pets possess immortality, but our hearts know they may very well pass on before we do.I remember so well the day our adult daughter’s dog, Daisy passed on. The two had accompanied each other constantly for twelve years. Our daughter provided warm, handmade clothing for her 40-pound Daisy. She socialized Daisy and trained her in the niceties of everyday life. She nursed Daisy through many illnesses, including the cancer to which her pet finally succumbed. As the end neared, she arranged with a local veterinarian for immediate pickup and final assistance through the closing hours of her pet’s life. No one suspected, however, that Daisy’s death would occur in the wee small hours of the morning. Daisy passed on with nothing more than the tender comforts and copious tears of her lifelong human companion.Our daughter sank into the depths of grief. With morning, she contacted the veterinarian. Daisy’s body made the trip to the vet’s office for cremation, and our daughter held only her memories. She soon realized that she wanted a concrete, visible way to remember her pet. We wanted to give her some kind of memorial gift, and began looking for ways to remember her pet.WAYS TO REMEMBER YOUR PET AFTER IT HAS PASSED ONThe number of ideas astounded us. Some people suggested burying the pet’s cremated ashes in a pet cemetery and erecting an outdoor memorial. Some felt that a memorial service provided a good way to remember your pet. Others listed self-involvement such as sharing the love you felt for your pet with other animals, volunteering at an animal shelter, or helping the elderly with their pets. There appeared to be many ways to remember your pet after it has passed on, but none of them fulfilled what we wanted – a “memorial” as constant as Daisy had been.Some ideas were right for a goldfish. Some were suited to either cat or dog. There were even ways to remember your pet pony or horse after it has passed on. I imagine that if you looked long enough, you might even find ways to remember a deceased elephant.Let me give you five other ideas we found.- Create a memory garden if you own your own property. Make it as simple or elaborate as you wish. Choose a quiet spot away from foot traffic and plant a few flowers. Add an attractive flat stone on which you’ve painted your pet’s name. You might also add a stone or metal statue of your pet’s breed. As you maintain the garden, you will remember your beloved pet.- Craft a custom picture frame of your pet with its name, and fill it with a favorite photo of the cat, dog, etc. If you’d rather let someone else do the work, try looking on the Internet for custom memorial photo frames, or find a generic frame you love and insert a photo of one of the happiest days with your pet.- Place a box of your pet’s ashes on a shelf, but make it a special box. (I knew a woman who piled five plain boxes on a shelf (two dogs and three cats)! You can order a beautiful wooden, laser engraved urn with a photo of your pet, its name, and dates etched on the top. You might even remember your pet with a special poem etched on the box front.- For an inexpensive way to remember your pet after it has passed on, repurpose your pet’s ID tag. You can add it quickly and easily to a handmade bracelet. Or attach the pet ID tag to a key ring that you take with you every time you leave home. If you have none, you can order one featuring your dog’s name and a symbol that will often bring memories to mind.- Order a mobile decal memorial for your bike or vehicle. These window decals often memorialize human loved ones, but also provide a way to remember your pet after it has passed on. You can see a sample custom window decal at https://www.amazon.com/StickerLoaf-CUSTOM-MEMORIAL-WINDOW-Sticker/dp/B01CKF6QT6.My personal choice?GLASS PET CREMATION JEWELRYOf the many ways to remember your pet after it has passed on, I love the handmade, custom pet cremation ash pendants. Glass pet cremation jewelry is not all created equal, of course. Many pieces are factory-made and lack the individual warmth you and your pet shared.The best pet cremation jewelry gives you a warm, unique way to remember a warm, unique pet with whom you loved life and explored the world in which you lived. Glass pet cremation jewelry transforms a portion of your pet’s cremated ashes into an artistic expression of your love for him or her. You could leave the ashes in a box on the shelf, of course, as suggested above. You wouldn’t be able to carry the box with you, however. You might only see the memorial when you dusted it each week.Glass pet cremation jewelry takes a small portion of your pet’s ashes, melts them within smooth, hot glass, and presents you with a beautiful piece of wearable art.My favorite pet cremation jewelry is a striking red paw-print pendant, hand-fashioned by the professional artist at https://psychecremationjewelry.com/cremation-jewelry/glass-cremation-pendants/red-pawprint-cremation-pendant.This is simply stunning! You must see it! It makes a perfect way to remember your pet after it has passed on. Its beauty shows others, too, how much you loved your non-human companion.When you wear this particular pet cremation pendant, you and your admiring friends will marvel at its beauty and speculate as to how the artist managed to get that perfect, tiny paw print inside the glass. How did he make it appear to float among your pet’s ashes and the blue glass? Suspended from its black satin cord, this amazing glass pendant rests flat against your body, keeping memories of your deceased pet close.The artist provides for those who never wear pendants as well. A man may order a glass cremation marble containing ashes from his unforgettable pet.You are not limited to one memorial, either. When a pet passes on, more than one family member will miss it. You can order a variety of these artistic pet cremation pendants, or order identical ones for each member of the family.The artist has provided a simple kit for you to use. He mails it to you when you order. You just place one scoop (about 1/4 tsp) of ashes in the small jar he sends for each memorial you order. You put the jar in his prepaid mailing envelope. You may also add photos or written memories of the pet you want to remember. The artist promises to review everything before making your custom memorials. You drop the prepaid envelope in the mail, and if you have questions, ask the artist directly without any customer service or middleman.Mark, the artist at https://psychecremationjewelry.com/ gives a hint of the care he will give your personal pet cremation ash jewelry when he writes, “After experiencing the loss of 3 close friends and my big tom cat Leo, I decided to put my skills to use in the service of others who’d lost people and pets close to them.” That attitude makes these pendants truly personal ways to remember your pet after it has passed on.CONCLUSIONEven if your pet, like Daisy, has been suffering a harsh illness, the actual death leaves you in grief. You cannot bring the pet back to life, but you can keep its memory alive by choosing one of many ways to remember your pet after it has passed on. Take your time, and choose well.