Pet Burial Headstone Ideas

For those of us who feel a strong sense of bond and kinship with our pets, losing them can feel just like the loss of a beloved family member. Honoring your departed friend through a respectful burial can help the healing process, while erecting a memorial headstone will serve as a testament to your pet's memory. Whether you're looking to make your own headstone or commission a professional to build it, choose a design and process that fits both your needs and your memory of your pet.

  1. Homemade Tombstone

    • If budget is a concern, or if you you'd rather honor your pet with a homemade, rather than purchased, headstone, create your own by casting in craft cement; this product is designed for complex shapes like statues, so you can use it for creating a basic or complex headstone. Even a rough headstone made in this manner will have a personal touch, and you may find that the crafting process helps you get through the grieving process a little easier.

    Paw Print

    • Base a headstone around a plaster imprint of your departed pet's paw. Such paw prints are often made by pet crematoriums or other contractors working with veterinary offices. Get one of these made at the time of your pet's death, then use this plaster cast to make a positive reproduction of your pet's paw to avoid the problems of working with the body itself, then use this piece to make the imprint in the cement headstone.

    Sculpture

    • Create a large headstone in the shape of a sculpture of your pet, or include a smaller sculpture as part of a larger headstone. Build the final sculpture directly using an epoxy clay; this material sculpts like modeling clay but cures hard enough to use as a headstone. If no one in your family is skilled in clay modeling, hire a freelance sculptor for the job (check out local college art departments for artists seeking both cash and experience).

    Photo Print

    • Immortalize the likeness of your pet in the tombstone using a photo print, preserved under glass or resin and incorporated into a cut out or cast recess in the tombstone. Make your own resin cast to place in a homemade cement tombstone, or get this done by a professional. Choose a picture that you think best portrays your pet at the height of life and health.

    Etching and Engraving

    • Another service offered by professional tombstone makers is that of getting an etched image of your pet laser-cut into the shiny surface of a granite marker, or of getting an engraving with thicker lines in concrete. For best results, make sure there's an artist on hand whose work you can view to ensure that they can get a good likeness of your pet. If not, commission an artist to do a line drawing based on photos of your pet.