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How to Decorate Pet Head Stones
By Colleen Mihelich
The process of burying a pet is nothing short of
traumatic. After all, pets are a part of your family and
you feel the loss every bit as much as you would if you
lost a special person in your life. For this reason,
many people opt to plan memorial services and funerals
for their pets, to share their pet's life and loss with
the people around them.
When doing this, there are so many small details to
consider, including aspects of the burial. Many people
are now opting to use a pet headstone at their pet's
graveside to ensure they know exactly where their
companion is buried. Pet memorial stones are readily
available and can be personalized to reflect specific
characteristics of your pet's life and personality.
However, beyond whatever is inscribed on the headstone,
many people are unaware of what they can do to make the
headstone more meaningful. Similar to human headstones,
there are a number of things that can be done to
decorate a headstone.
For the service, you can insert some of your favorite
pictures around the headstone as well as a smattering of
your pet's favorite toys and trinkets. You can drape a
favorite blanket over the headstone for the service or
bring your pet's favorite kennel or bedding to place
alongside the gravesite. Some people even opt to light
an eternity candle for the service, as a symbol of the
pet's life. If your pet enjoyed music, you can play
music your animal liked to hear at the service. You can
do as much --- or as little --- as you feel comfortable
doing for the pet memorial service. The point is to
convey as much of your pet's personality as possible
through the service and decoration of the pet memorial
stone.
Once the service is over, you can opt to place fresh
flowers at the pet memorial stone routinely. However, it
is not advisable to leave anything that can spoil or
deteriorate in exterior conditions over time. This will
not only cause whatever you left to be ruined, but it
also may contribute to a cluttered, littered look around
your pet headstone. Anything that you leave at the pet
memorial stone should be as natural as possible, which
is why flowers are the best and most common options for
headstone decor. Moreover, if you are having a ceremony
at a pet cemetery, you may have to comply with their
rules and regulations regarding the decoration of a pet
memorial stone. Keep this in mind upon deciding where
you will lay your pet to rest and gauge the aspects you
feel are more important to you during this process.
Again, decorating a pet's headstone is a matter of
personal preference and style. You should do whatever
makes you feel comfortable in terms of décor. The point
of the service is to remember how much love and joy your
pet brought into your life, therefore everything you do
to prepare for it should reflect that same range of
emotion. |
