Guide: Pet Headstones & Memorials

Anyone with pets can agree: pets are part of the family. While we never want to imagine a life without our family pet around, there are many meaningful ways that you can honor the life of your family pet after they’ve passed. 

Headstones for Pets

When it comes time to say goodbye to your pet, you may be wondering what your options are. If you are exploring options for pet memorials, you can purchase pet headstones just as you would for your lost loved ones. At HeadstoneHub, we can personalize any headstone on our site for your family pet.  

One idea for customizing a headstone for your pet is to engrave the headstone with the image or portrait of your pet. A laser engravement of your pet’s likeness is a great way to keep their memory alive after they’ve passed.

There are a few things you’ll need to consider if you are leaning towards a permanent pet grave marker such as a headstone. One option is to explore pet cemeteries in your area. If you do decide on a local pet cemetery, just be sure to research what their restrictions and guidelines are for what types of pet grave markers they allow. 

If you’d rather lay your pet to rest at your home, the main thing you need to consider is whether or not you plan to move at all. If you are planning to move anytime after you’ve buried your pet, it may make more sense to go with a less permanent type of grave marker, such as a pet memorial stone. Garden stones, large rocks, trees, or plants make for more natural grave markers that will blend into your home’s natural landscape. If you’re not planning to stay in your home for the long haul, something more natural may be the better option.

Dog Headstones

They’re called “man’s best friend” for a reason. Dogs are perhaps the most popular choice of pet, and as a result people form very strong bonds with their family dogs. If you’re looking for a way to personalize a headstone for your dog, you may consider a laser engravement on a headstone (as we mentioned earlier). Another popular idea is to create a statue of your dog, and use that to mark their final resting place.

Many dogs like to spend lots of time outside, so another common practice is to cremate your dog and spread their ashes in their favorite park, along their favorite walking trail, or just in your backyard where they spent hours running around.

Cat Headstones

Another popular choice of pet, cats are integral parts of their families, and it’s never easy to say goodbye to them. You can memorialize your cat with a customized cat grave marker, whether that means engraving an image of them on a headstone or plaque or marking their burial spot with a decorative stone or plant in your backyard. Because cats tend to spend most of their time indoors, some people prefer to cremate their cats and preserve their ashes in a decorative urn that can be displayed inside the home to keep the cat’s memory alive. 

We hope we’ve given you a few ideas of how you can honor the life of your beloved pet. If you’re leaning towards a more traditional headstone for your pet, you can learn more about what types of headstone options are available by reading our guide: “Types of Headstones and Grave Markers.”