Gravestones for Pets

The death of a dog, cat or other pet can be hard to bear. One way to cope is to create a memorial. This marks the importance of your pet even though it is no longer with you. A gravestone acts as such a memorial. It shows what a pet meant to you when it was alive. It is also a symbol of your pet that can bring back memories of the pleasure you once had together.

  1. Shape and Size

    • Pet gravestones are relatively small. Even a large upright gravestone is no more than 12 inches high, 18 inches wide and 2 inches deep. Such a stone will usually sit on a base that is about 22 inches long, 2 inches high and 6 inches wide. Most gravestones, though, are smaller than these dimensions. Shapes vary considerably. There are oblong stones with rounded corners, heart-shaped stones, semi-circular stones and bone-shaped stones. Some gravestones are also rough hewn so they look like pieces of rock. If you have a special shape in mind, you may be able to arrange with a gravestone supplier for it to be custom-made.

    Material

    • Granite gravestones are easy to clean and resist the effects of bad weather. They usually have one side that is smooth, black and highly polished. This makes a good surface for engraving. Marble is another enduring and traditional material. The available colors for marble include dark grey and black. Rather than formal-looking granite and marble, you may prefer to use natural rock. This comes in various shades of grey and yellow.

    Engravings

    • You can choose from a range of fonts for the engraving on a gravestone. Times New Roman, for instance, is a font that's formal and clear. A font such as Freehand, though, is more relaxed and flowing. When you have chosen your font and the words you wish to use, the gravestone supplier uses either laser engraving or sandblasting. Granite, for example, requires laser engraving whereas natural stone is better suited to sandblasting.

    Photos and Designs

    • You can arrange for a photo to appear on your pet's gravestone. A plastic cover keeps the photo in place and protects it from the weather. Over time, though, a photo will fade. One alternative is to have a long-lasting ceramic photo made. This can be in black-and-white or color. You then attach the ceramic photo to the gravestone with glue. Another option is to choose a granite gravestone and supply a photo of your pet. The gravestone supplier can create a laser-engraved image of your pet on the stone. If you prefer natural stone rather than granite, the supplier can sandblast a simple design rather than a reproduction of a photo. The design can be a silhouette or outline image of your pet.

    Accessories

    • Accessories for pet gravestones include flower vases, remembrance candles and memorial lights. You can fix the vases into the ground by the gravestone. The candles come in glass jars that you can also insert into the ground. A memorial light consists of a granite base and an acrylic icon. The icon may be in the form of a heart, cross or flame. Within the icon is a solar-powered light.