A WORD ABOUT CEREMONY

A Word About Ceremony

“Funerals help us acknowledge the reality of the death, remember the person who died, honor the life that was lived, and provide support to mourners. They also give us a forum for saying goodbye. Pets deserve funerals, too. But more important, as I always say, funerals are for the living. . . Ceremonies help us express what we are incapable of expressing in mere words.”

-Excerpt from Dr. Alan Wolfelt’s book, When Your Pet Dies - A Guide to Mourning, Remembering, and Healing.

A memorial ceremony will give you the opportunity to show your love for the life that was lost. Your ceremony can be as simple or extravagant as you choose. Here are a few ideas:

A time as simple as purposefully sharing of memories around the dinner table.
Visitation with your beloved companion’s body will give you an opportunity to cry together with people who love you and say a final goodbye.
Plan a scattering ceremony. Scatter the remains in a spot special to you and your pet.
Plant a tree or bush in your faithful friend’s memory. Scatter all or a portion of the remains in the soil.
Hold a candle lighting ceremony. Place a candle in the middle of the table and provide candles for each guest. Light the center candle to represent the life of your animal companion. As each person lights their candle from the flame of the center candle, ask them to share a memory or lesson they learned from the special pet’s life.
Gather the people together who love you to help you remember and honor the life of your faithful friend in a traditional funeral ceremony.

Faithful Friends Pet Memory Center is here to help you with ideas and arrangements necessary for your memorial ceremony.