Pet memorial gifts UK: how to choose something that helps

Updated
Round ceramic Christmas ornament on a red ribbon with a dog picture in a circle, the years 2010 to 2026 and the name Max

When someone loses a dog or a cat, you want to do something and may not be sure what. Flowers feel wrong. A card feels thin. A memorial gift can help, but only if it is chosen with a little care, because the wrong one sits in a cupboard and makes the person feel worse for not displaying it.

In short:

This is a short guide to choosing well. It covers what to send, when, and what to write. The products are ours, but the advice holds whatever you buy.

What helps, and what does not

The gifts that help share three things. They use the pet's own name and, if possible, their own photo, not a generic paw print. They are quiet enough to live in a normal room without announcing themselves. And they are things the person can choose to put away for a while and bring out later, which matters more than people expect in the first weeks.

The gifts that do not help tend to be loud, large, or presumptuous about faith. A poem about rainbow bridges is a comfort to some people and a small ache to others. If you do not know which your friend is, choose plain words or none.

The memorial print

Our Pet Memorial Print is the one we recommend first. The photo is printed in a soft oval against a cream background on fine-art paper, with the pet's name beneath, their dates if you want them, and one of five short lines chosen from a list on the product page. It is a single restrained design, with nothing that shouts. It comes in 12 x 16 in (30.5 x 40.6 cm) or 8 x 12 in (20.3 x 30.5 cm), supplied unframed, so it can go in a frame on a shelf, a bedside table or a wall, and it can equally go in a drawer for a month and come out when the person is ready. It is slightly larger than 30 x 40 cm (or 20 x 30 cm), so choose a 12 x 16 in (or 8 x 12 in) frame.

You can send it straight to your friend as a sympathy gift. Enter their address as the delivery address and your own as the billing address, and we will send tracking updates to you, not to them.

Choosing the photo

The photo carries the whole gift, so it is worth a few minutes. Ask a family member or a mutual friend for the clearest picture they have, ideally the original from a phone or camera rather than a screenshot or a picture that has been through a messaging app. Look for good light, a sharp face, and the pet filling the frame. An older photo of a younger animal is fine.

If the photo is too small to print well, the product page will warn you before you add it to your basket. The page cannot tell whether a photo is blurred, so zoom in on your phone and check that the eyes are sharp. A print is kinder to a slightly soft photo than a canvas would be. When in doubt, choose the smaller 8 x 12 in size.

A place on the tree

Christmas is when the absence is felt hardest, and an ornament gives the pet a place in the room without taking over. The Pet Memorial Photo Christmas Ornament prints the photo inside a cream ring on a round ceramic ornament 7.5 cm across, with the name curving along the base and, if you want them, the years or a short line just above it. The same design is printed on both sides, and it comes with a red ribbon for hanging.

If words suit the family better than a photo, the Personalised Memorial Ceramic Christmas Ornament carries a name at the centre, the years beneath if you want them, and one of four lines around the rim, including Missing you at Christmas. A single feather is the only decoration, and the same design is printed on both sides. Both ornaments are in our Christmas Keepsakes collection.

Something for every day

Some people find a photo they see every morning a comfort. Others find it too much, too soon. If you know your friend well enough to be sure, the Pet Memorial Photo Mug prints the photo in a soft circle with the name and an optional line beneath, such as their years, and the design is printed twice around the mug. It is an 11oz white ceramic mug, dishwasher and microwave safe. If you are not sure, choose the print, which can be put away.

When to send it

Not the first week. The first week is for turning up, or for a short message that does not need a reply. A memorial gift lands best two to four weeks after the loss, when the visitors have stopped and the house has gone quiet. You could send one on the first anniversary instead, or at the first Christmas, and that is thoughtful too.

Everything we make is printed to order in the UK and sent by a tracked service (usually Royal Mail or Evri, chosen by the print partner). Delivery times are on our Delivery page and the last order dates for Christmas are on our Christmas order deadlines page, so check both if you are aiming for a date.

What to write

Keep it short and use the pet's name. Something like: "Thinking of you and of Bramble. She had the best life with you." Avoid "at least" sentences, and avoid telling the person how to feel or when they might feel better. We cannot include a gift message or a printed gift card at the moment, so if you are sending the gift straight to them, send your words separately, in a card or a message of your own.

If you are choosing for yourself

You may be choosing for your own pet, and there is no right time for that either. You might order the day after, or wait a year. On the product page you choose one of the five lines, and you can leave the dates off if you prefer. We do not send proofs, and orders go to our printer within about 10 minutes of payment, so check the name, the dates and the photo before you pay.

Damaged or misprinted? Your right to a free reprint or refund, made easy: send us a photo within 30 days of delivery. Full details are on our Returns page. The full range for dog and cat people is in For Pet Parents, and the memorial pieces are gathered in Memorial Keepsakes.

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