Top 5 Pet Memorial Trends in 2024

Top 5 Pet Memorial Trends in 2023

An estimated 66% of U.S. households have pets, and the vast majority (85% of dog owners and 76% of cat owners) consider their furry friends to be members of the family. Just like any other member of the family, we grieve their losses deeply and seek ways to remember and memorialize them after they cross the rainbow bridge.

Memorials are deeply personal, and there’s no right or wrong way to honor your pet’s memory. However, these five pet memorial trends are picking up steam in 2023.

1. Volunteering or Donating to Rescues

One special way to honor your lost pet’s life is to volunteer or donate to a local rescue or animal shelter. Rescues and shelters are always in need of extra helping hands or funds to support their operations.

Spending time with animals at a shelter or rescue may also help you cope with the loss of your furry companion. Volunteering will give you a purpose and a way to direct all of the energy you gave to your pet to other animals in need.

There are many organizations that could use your help. Along with well-known shelters, like the Humane Society and the ASPCA, you can find local organizations that are looking for volunteers. These smaller organizations may also have smaller teams and be in greater need of your time.

Volunteering may involve feeding the animals, cleaning enclosures, walking dogs, washing dishes, opening your home up as a temporary foster, or other tasks.

If you’re unable to volunteer, you can make a donation in memory of your pet. And if you want to make an even bigger impact, you can get your friends and family involved.

Ask friends and loved ones to make donations in your pet’s name and share your request on social media. You'll be supporting a good cause and honoring your pet’s memory.

2. Pet Cremation Urns

More pet owners are choosing cremation over burial when laying their companions to rest. Cremation allows you to keep your pet’s ashes and carry them with you wherever you go in life.

Today, you can even find special pet cremation urns that are designed to memorialize all types of pets. These urns can be customized with your pet’s name, or they may have a unique design, such as a heart or paw print. Either option will have internal space to store your pet’s ashes.

For example, our new Custom Engraved Heritage Cherry memorial box is just the right size for your pet’s ashes, with dimensions of 3.9"L x 3.9" W x 5.1"H. The box’s beautiful construction is a wonderful way to memorialize your pet.

Four design options are available:

• Walking Paws, which features two paw prints and your custom text.
• Heart Paws, which features a series of paw prints in the shape of a heart and your custom text.
• Cat, which features a beautiful cat silhouette along with your own text.
• Single Paw, which features a paw print inside of a heart and your own text.

Each memorial box features a stunning rich cherry wood color with an elegant wood grain pattern. The high-gloss coating brings out the warm tones of this wood box.

The brass plate is gold laser engraved with your design of choice and your text.

Our memorial box urns are best suited for small pets or sharing a portion of ashes. It has a capacity of 40 cubic inches.

Urns are such a beautiful way to memorialize pets, and they can serve as daily reminders of our companions who give us unconditional love. They can be displayed in the home on a mantel, display cabinet or wherever you please.

Having the option to customize the cremation urn will make it even more special. You can add something memorable about your pet or a hopeful message, such as “forever in our hearts,” or “no longer by my side, but forever in my heart.”

Placing your urn in a quiet room of the house will give you a special place for contemplation and to remember the time shared with your pet.

3. Planting Memorial Trees or Gardens

Planting a garden or tree in memory of your pet is a wonderful way to honor their memory. Rather than focusing on the loss of your companion, planting a garden or tree gives you the opportunity to nurture and care for new life.

Each year, the tree or garden will continue to grow and thrive thanks to your love and care. In this way, your pet’s memory will never die. You can visit the garden or tree whenever you like and remember all the wonderful memories you shared.

A memorial plant or garden is also a wonderful place to put a custom pet stone with your pet’s name or photo. Another option is to create custom wind chimes with your pet’s name and a poem of remembrance. Whenever the wind blows, the chime’s music will remind you of your pet.

You'll find that there’s no shortage of garden-related memorial items that you can personalize for your beloved pet.

While you can plant any tree or type of garden that you like, there are some plants that are more popular for memorials because of what they symbolize.

• Apple trees are a sacred symbol of love.
• Cherry trees represent reincarnation or rebirth.
• Cedar symbolizes eternity.
• Weeping willows represent hope and continuity.
• Lilacs also represent rebirth.

If you’re planting a garden in remembrance of your pet, scented flowers like roses and lavender will bring a smile to your face each time you visit and bring back memories of your pet.

Other memorial garden plants include:

• Phlox
• Tulips
• Lilies
• Delphinium

Maybe your pet had a fondness for certain types of plants. These are the perfect plants to add to your garden, as they are tied to many memories of your pet.

Consider planting your tree or garden in a quiet, private place. Your own backyard is a great place for a memorial garden because you can visit whenever you want. They don’t have to take up much space in your backyard. A simple plot of flowers at the base of a tree or the corner of the yard will more than suffice.

4. Pet Cremation Jewelry

Urns are a traditional way to memorialize a pet that’s been cremated, but you can also find pet ashes jewelry. These pieces of jewelry hold just a pinch of your pet’s ashes, so you can always hold your companion close to your heart.

A pet urn necklace doesn’t have to be obvious either. You can find wonderful pieces of fine jewelry in the shapes of hearts or round pendants. These options allow you to carry your pet’s ashes with you and without drawing attention to it.

You can also purchase a pet ashes necklace in the shape of a paw print, cat, dog or bone for a more obvious option.

We have a number of different options for pet cremation jewelry made from sterling silver, gold vermeil, brass, bronze or titanium. Some pieces have beautiful accents, like Swarovski crystal, to make your memorial jewelry even more special. Our collection includes both necklaces and bracelets, so you can choose the type of jewelry that best fits your lifestyle.

Our design options include hearts, cats, dogs, bones, cylinders and urns. All of our cremation jewelry comes with a filling kit. The screw opening simplifies the process of adding your pet’s ashes.

No matter what style or design you choose, you’ll gain comfort in knowing that your furry friend is never too far from your heart.

5. Memorial Tattoos

Memorial tattoos have become a growing trend for pet owners. Tattoos are a form of self-expression, and they give you the freedom to memorialize your pet however you want. Like your memories of your furry friend, your tattoo will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Pet memorial tattoos can come in the form of:

• Pet portraits
• Angel wings
• Paw prints
• Collars
• The pet’s name

Some tattoo artists will even allow you to add some of your pet’s ashes to the ink, so your pet will truly be with you always.

If you’re considering a memorial tattoo, choose your artist carefully – especially if you envision a design that includes a portrait of your pet. Finding the right artist may take some time, but it will be well worth the effort to ensure your tattoo is something you truly love and does your pet’s memory justice.

Final Thoughts

The loss of a pet can be devastating. Our furry friends are part of the family, and their loss can leave a void in our lives. Honoring your pet’s memory can help you get through the grieving process and keep their memories close at heart. These memorial trends are a great place to start if you’re not sure how to memorialize your pet.

Urns and jewelry will allow you to keep your pet’s ashes close by. Planting gardens, volunteering your time at shelters, fostering an animal in need, or getting a memorial tattoo are other ways to help you grieve your loss and honor your lost pet.