How Pet Memorial Keepsakes Help with Grief

Keepsakes offer a tangible connection to your departed pet.

Keepsakes serve as a physical reminder of your pet’s memory. You know that they’re gone, but their existence has not been erased from the world. They lived, they mattered, and they will not be forgotten. By keeping their memory alive, you honor the special role they played in your life while allowing your heart to heal. One day, the sharp pain of grief will lessen, but the fond memories will remain.

Keepsake Options to Memorialize Your Pet

The specific item you choose as a keepsake is less important than how it makes you feel. Anything that recalls happy memories can help you heal. Some people are comforted by holding onto their pet’s belongings, such as:

• Their collar and tags
• A favorite squeaky toy
• Food or water dishes
• A favorite bed or blanket

If you choose to hold onto any of your pet’s belongings as a keepsake, be sure to communicate with any other household members about your intentions so that nothing gets thrown away by accident.

Another option is to memorialize your pet’s likeness in some way, such as:

• A framed photograph or photo collage
• A painted or drawn portrait
• A custom-made plushie resembling the pet

You might also want to keep your pet’s ashes nearby. You can choose to keep all of them or just a portion if you wish to scatter the rest. An urn is one way to store these remains. Memorial jewelry is another option. These pendants can hold a small quantity of ashes and come in various styles and designs. There are even plushies with compartments inside for storing ashes, so you can cuddle a likeness of your pet while keeping a part of them close.

How to Keep or Display Your Memorial Items

When your grief is fresh, you’ll likely want to keep the memorial items close, where you can look at or hold them often. Later, you may want to display them in a place of honor or keep them stored away safely. Here are a few ideas:

• Create a memory box filled with items that remind you of your pet
• Fill up a photo album or memory book
• Make a shadow box to put several items on display
• Turn part of their collar into a bracelet or key chain
• Incorporate their collar or tags into a suncatcher or windchime
• Have their photo printed onto a pillow or blanket
• Turn a shelf into a permanent shrine with an urn, photograph, collar, or other items
• Plant a miniature memorial garden of succulents in their bowl

Some people find hands-on creative projects to be very soothing and cathartic during times of grief. Others may find this too overwhelming and want to keep things simple. Either way is fine. What matters is that the item helps you remember the bond you and your furry friend shared.

If you’re looking for pet memorial keepsakes in the Albuquerque area, Best Friends offers a variety of choices, including photo urns and pendants that hold cremation ashes. Even if your pet wasn’t cremated with us, we are happy to provide these memorial items and can help with placing ashes in jewelry or transferring them into a new urn. If you use our cremation service, we can also take a fur clipping and ink or sand pawprint before cremation so you’ll have a one-of-a-kind memento of your companion.

You can stop by our new location at 1001 Menaul Blvd NE or browse our service packages online to see our available options.