What to do when a Pet Dies

"When we adopt a dog or any pet, we know it is going to end with us having to say goodbye, but we still do it.  And we do it for a very good reason: They bring so much joy and optimism and happiness.  They attack every moment of every day with that attitude."

-W. Bruce Cameron

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It’s not always easy for others to understand the importance our pets play, the role they have in our own lives. They are so loved by us, and in return, they love us unconditionally. They spend their often too brief lives simply wanting to spend time with us or near us. It is often inevitable that we will long outlive them, and yet often we cannot imagine our lives without them. And, at their eventual passing, we find ourselves at a loss for how to process, how to proceed, and how to mourn.  In an effort to help ease the burden a bit, we’ve provided you with some guidance to help unburden a confusing and trying time.

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The Cremation

If your pet has passed on within the walls of your home, often a simple online search will help you find places that will cremate their remains.  Be thorough in your research, and access available reviews to ensure you’re finding quality services for the proper treatment of your beloved animal’s remains.

Check with multiple providers, and if possible, contact them on the phone, gauge their sincerity and their level of understanding regarding your loss. Some facilities may only take certain size animals, while others might mix the remains of multiple pets. Some facilities are able to come to your home or the vet to pick up the remains, while others require you to bring the remains in to them. Some services allow you to view the process, to ensure your satisfaction and to help you find comfort, while others might act behind closed doors.

There are also companies who will provide you with grief counseling and support as part of their services. They might offer private viewing and memorial receptions for you and a few family members, so you can say your final farewells in peace.  It is also important to ask about the cost of their services, and to ensure you are able to afford the services that you seek.  A facility that has your best interests and concerns in mind will be honest, upfront, and sincere about how to help you find what you need.

If your pet has passed while at a veterinary facility, you might also find some services there.  Some veterinary clinics are able to recommend services, or transport remains to a recommended facility, if they aren’t able to cremate the remains themselves. 

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The Memorialization

Once the cremation has been completed, you will likely be asked to return to the facility to pick up the ashes of your pet.  The next step in your process will be to decide on how you would like to memorialize that beloved pet for the remainder of your years.  While their lives are often too brief, ours are often surpassed by decades and decades, and although many of us eventually find the space in our heart to bring a new pet into our homes, we are never replacing our last one.  We move on, but we do remember.  It is this part of the remembrance process that brings forth the question of an urn or pendant or box.

GetUrns offers owners with a wide variety of options for eternal memorialization. There is the simplistic beauty of a traditional bamboo box, sleek, modern and subtle, in both larger and smaller sizes, in which you can store their remains with unassuming mien.

There are pendant cremation urns, in the shape of their delicate pawprint, or the elegance of a cat, that you can wear around your neck as a daily reminder of just how much you loved them and just how much you miss them. This cremation jewelry has a small cavity in which you can place a small bit of their ashes, so they remain close to you as much as you want them to.

There are elegant tealight urns, decorated with the little footprints that they’ve printed on you similarly in life, a small warm flame to reminder you of the warmth and comfort they brought you.

Even the more traditional style of urns are uniquely designed to forever house the ashes.  Slender cat silhouettes, traditionally shaped urns, adore midnight urns, and heart shaped urns, will lovingly carry the ashes for you through the remainder of life.  Some of the urns even allow engraving of your pet’s name. 

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While it’s not always easy to say farewell to the ones we’ve loved, there’s a particular difficulty that comes with departing with a beloved pet, and we recognize it’s important to help you through that process.