Pet Ceremonies and Blessings
They were family. That is reason enough.
People apologise when they ring me about a dog. They should not. Losing an animal you lived alongside for fourteen years is a real bereavement, and the fact that nobody offers you time off work does not make it less of one.
These ceremonies are usually small and usually held at home. Half an hour in a garden with six people and a bowl still by the back door does more good than most people expect.
A farewell or memorial
This can happen before, if you know the appointment is coming and want to say things while they can still hear you, or afterwards at whatever distance feels right. There is no correct interval.
- A short service at home, in the garden or in the field they were walked in
- Scattering or burying ashes, with the practical side handled quietly
- A memorial for an animal who died some time ago and never got a proper goodbye
- A gathering for a working dog, an assistance dog or a horse, with the people who knew them
- Stories, a poem, a favourite lead or collar placed somewhere it belongs
When children are involved
For a lot of children a pet is the first death they meet, and how it is handled tends to stay with them. I keep the language honest and plain, because "gone to sleep" and "gone away" cause more confusion and more fear than the truth does.
Children are given something to do if they want it. Reading a line, putting a flower down, saying what they liked best. They are never made to take part, and there is no expectation about how they should behave.
Blessings and welcomes
Not all of these are sad. A blessing marks an animal joining the household, which suits families with children, rescue dogs arriving after a rough start, and assistance animals beginning work with someone.
Pets also appear in weddings more often every year. If yours is carrying the rings, walking someone down the aisle or simply being present, I will build them in properly and have a plan for the moment they decide to do something else instead.
“It was twenty minutes in the back garden for a border collie and I am not embarrassed to say it helped more than my father's funeral did.”
JanPet farewell, Street
What comes with the fee
From £180, with nothing added afterwards.
- A conversation about the animal, in person or on the phone
- A short ceremony written for them by name
- A reading or poem chosen to suit, not one of the same three everybody uses
- A part for children if they want one
- Practical guidance on scattering and burial, including what is allowed where
- A printed copy of the words for the family
Other ceremonies
Weddings
A ceremony written around the two of you, held wherever you want it, with the words you actually want said.
Read more
Funerals & Celebrations of Life
A service that sounds like the person it is for, whether that means hymns, silence, or a football chant at the end.
Read more
Renewal of Vows
For an anniversary, a milestone, or simply because you got through something difficult and want to say so out loud.
Read more
Baby Naming Ceremonies
A welcome for a new child, with promises from the people who will help raise them and no religion unless you want it.
Read more