A gift for someone who lost their pet.
Anything with the pet’s name on it is the right idea. It tells them someone else remembers. Here’s what people give, and when.
A portrait from a favorite photo
The gift people recommend most. They may cry when they open it, and they usually keep it where they can see it.
A donation in the pet’s name
To a shelter or rescue, with a note saying who it’s for. A good choice if you don’t know them well, or they don’t want more things.
An ornament with their photo
Small, easy to give to a coworker, and it comes back every December.
A memorial stone, or a display for the collar
For the garden or a shelf. Somewhere they already go.
Dinner on the doorstep
Not a keepsake, but it helps in the first week, when nobody feels like cooking.
When to give it
Soon after is fine, and so is months later. The first Christmas and a year since are both good days. Most people say not on the person’s birthday.
Is it too much?
Almost everyone asks this. People who were given something tend to say the same thing: they cried, and then they kept it.
What to write in the card
Use the pet’s name and one thing you remember about them. If you’re stuck, here are some words you can use.
Or a song.
An original song with their pet’s name in it, written from one small memory: $29, by email within 24 hours. You don’t need to know the stories. Add their email and we’ll ask them gently, when they’re ready. It comes with a printable lyric card, so you have something to hand over. If it doesn’t sound like their pet, you get every cent back.
Give a song