Home Funeral Wake for a Pet

Pet Home Funeral Wake

The Backyard Burial Company aids families in loving tributes to their pets as well as pet funerals, burial and cremation.

When a pet dies, preparing a home funeral vigil can be a healing way to say farewell.

Bringing loved ones together to acknowledge the years of happy memories with your pet, brings us both peace and closure and allows the healing process to begin.

While some families choose to lay out their pet to view, others may prefer to hold the vigil with their pet safely inside his/her casket (as shown above). 

Here are some tips and traditions to help you create a meaningful, spiritual and touching tribute to your beloved pet.

• Flowers - We use flowers to decorate and beautify the casket, altar and grave space. White flowers are reminiscent of heaven. Yellow flowers symbolize earth. Purple flowers are used for mourning.

• Photos - Remind us of our beloved pet, happier times and cherished memories. Set up several favorite photos around the wake/altar.


• Pet Treats and Toys - Arrange your pets favorite toys and treats as part of the altar to remind you what he/she loved best.


• Pet Blankets and Sweaters - Inside the casket, lay your pet upon his/her favorite blanket. Some families prefer to dress their pet in his/her favorite sweater. Others may tuck the pets clothes or blankets inside the casket with their beloved pet. Your pet's favorite blanket may also be draped atop the casket for a personalized look and cozy feel.


• Colored-Paper Cut-outs - Draw and cut out shapes that remind you of your pet.
  
  
  These paper cut-outs can be taped to the casket or laid out around the altar. Some people use dog bones for dogs or fish shapes for cats. Hearts are also a popular choice. Although any color you prefer may be used, certain colors are associated with healing: green and white.

Candles - Candles give off soft warm light that is healing to the soul. Candles have a historic connection to our world, due to their use in rituals over the years. Candles can be used for meditation and focus and although any color may be used, certain colors are especially associated with promoting healing: magenta, turquoise, red, yellow, green, orange, blue, and lavender.

• Incense - Burning incense not only fills your home with pleasant smells, but is also used to promote healing. Although any fragrance of incense is part of a meaningful tribute to your pet, certain fragrances are associated with healing properties: amber, carnation, cedar, cinnamon, citron, citronella, cypress, eucalyptus, gardenia, honeysuckle, juniper, lavender, lemon, lotus, myrrh, peppermint, pine, rose, rosemary, sandalwood, and violet.

Above are just a few examples and ideas to help you create a healing and meaningful funeral or memorial tribute to your pet. We hope these ideas inspire you and your family as you remember your pet together.

Are you in the Portland area? Please contact The Backyard Burial Company. 
We aid families with pet funerals, pet burial and cremation. Let us know how we can help: 503-512-0755.

Tribute to a Miniature Schnazuer

In honor of Day of the Dead (el dia de los muertos) we're posing a lovely tribute to a miniature schnauzer...

I will never forget my dear friend "Pepper". Pepper was my trusty miniature schnauzer and a wonderful companion to me during my years of turbulence as a pre-teen up into my very early twenties. 

Never one to turn down any piece of food, including such oddities as raw garlic and lettuce, she was never what one would refer to as "svelte". She was forever motivated by food, and happily and quickly learned a great many tricks when food was the reward. She once learned how to speak on command within only an hour of training with reinforcement in the form of ripped up pieces of left over Belgian waffles. Hence, her resemblance to a stuffed sausage, or as I used to describe her plumpness -- a gray little trash can body on pencil legs.

Her eyes were most unusual, not the dark chocolate brown one normally sees on dogs, but rather a creamy brown shade of caramel. I always considered her unique eye color to be indicative of her remarkableness, even after I learned that light eyes in a miniature schnauzer were considered to be a fault by the American Kennel Club. 

Pepper was more than a pet to me, she was a family member. Growing up as an only child meant that my pets over the years have always been more than merely cute, furry, showy companions as we have often seen as part of the Hollywood celebrity fashion craze (i.e. Paris Hilton carrying a toy Chihuahua on the red carpet), but more like substitute siblings for me.

I actually never felt i missed out on the sibling experience while growing up as an only child. In fact, I rather liked it. I am certain that my pets, Pepper especially, had a great deal of influence over my lack of loneliness and the appreciation of solitude I developed as an only child.

Pepper, will forever be missed.

Today is Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead. Do you have a special tribute to share about a pet that has passed?  Are there any pets from your childhood that you remember? What was special about them?