The sad days after the loss of the family pet is difficult enough without the challenge of deciding how best to care for the deceased; it’s easy to become daunted by all the choices and decisions to make. This article will try to sift through the myriad of options with information on available alternatives. By the time you’ve finished reading it, it is my hope that you will feel confident in your ability to choose the method that is best for you and your family.

Assuming you will want your pet’s remains returned to you, before you begin, check with your veterinarian regarding how you may receive your pet’s remains. Some cities/states have regulations concerning the return of whole remains. Pet caskets are designed to hold the intact remains (the whole body) of a deceased pet and as such, are available in almost any size and shape from tiny boxes intended to hold rodents, fish and other small animals to large crates to take the remains of horses and even larger animals. Pet caskets are manufactured out of nearly any material—biodegradable cardboard, polyurethane and plastics, wood, glass, even metal and a new composite material called Durolon. Because there are so many products, sizes and styles of pet casket to choose from, it’s difficult to give an idea of average costs. Faithfulfriends.com offers a complete line of pet caskets to choose from, visit their casket section now; by clicking (internal link goes here ).

Often, because of the associated costs or legal restrictions on disposing of pet remains, people choose to have their pet’s remains cremated. Faithful Friends (internal link ) offers a complete line of urns suitable for interment or, for display in your home. These compact and affordable items are available in as many styles, materials and colors as pet caskets. Pet urns can be made from nearly any material, some of them quite unusual such as precious metal, fine porcelain and hand blown glass. Most people choose pet urns made from every day materials such as wood, stone like onyx and marble or, metal like steel and aluminum. There are urns that will hold a photo of your deceased pet and some have statues of the animal or the breed on top.

In addition to caskets and urns, there are a myriad of headstones and markers to choose from to celebrate the memory of your beloved departed pet. If your pet is buried in a cemetery, perhaps one of the headstones found here (internal link ) is suitable to mark the spot where the departed resides. If you decided not to bury your pet’s remains or, don’t have ready access to them, consider placing a memorial marker in your yard. Whether to mark the actual grave site of the departed or to serve as a memorial in your own garden, headstones and markers are manufactured from many different materials. The most common are bronze or similar metals, stone or marble and, composite materials such as polyurethane and Durolon. Faithful Friends offers a wide selection of markers and stones with children in mind. Visit (internal link ) now to find a gravestone or marker perfect for your family to remember your dearly departed.

When choosing a casket or urn, remember sizing. For full body burial, the mortuary will measure your pet’s remains and work with you to choose the right size and type of casket. Sizing an urn can be difficult. It’s hard for the average person to calculate the amount of ashes that will come from an animal of a particular size. Ask the crematorium what sized urn you should get for your pet.

Beyond the variety of ways to preserve your pet’s remains and mark their passing in stone, there is a new line of memorial products including jewelry called “pet keepsakes”. One of the newest and most exciting of these products is something called a, “Memory Vessel™”. This unique product is truly a first of its kind. There are products out there that preserve a memento of your pet or a portion of ashes in a piece of jewelry. There are products that offer a USB storage device hidden within a piece of jewelry or similar item. But, MemoryVessel™ is the first item of its kind to offer you both a vessel to contain a precious keepsake of your pet and a USB drive on which you can keep pictures, video and audio recordings of you and your pet. These handsome, durable keepsakes are available now in a variety of styles, sizes and colors, visit http://memoryvessels.com/ and see for yourself.

Perhaps, for reasons of style or expense, none of the above options appeals to you. In that case, consider sponsoring a park bench along your dog’s favorite walking trail. Many cities allow people to buy simple brass or stone plaques in parks, malls, or outside public buildings. Another popular alternative for the philanthropic is to donate to a favorite animal charity.

The variety and scope of ways to preserve, memorialize and honor your loving pet is almost unlimited. Hopefully this article gave you some good information and ideas on how to remember your pet, when at last they sadly leave this world.