When someone loses a dog or a cat, the usual gifts do not really land — a card gets read once and a plant can feel like one more thing to keep alive. What tends to help is something small and specific: a photograph of that animal, made into a piece they can pick up.
A pet memorial keepsake is exactly that. We print a favorite photograph of their companion into natural slate, with their name and years beneath it if they would like, and it arrives with a stand so it can go on a shelf or a windowsill where the animal used to sit.
Start with the photograph they love
Ask for one picture, or two if they cannot choose. The ones that work best are rarely the polished portraits. They are the dog mid-sprint at the lake with their tongue out, the cat asleep in a strip of sunlight, the horse in the field at golden hour, the ridiculous spot on the couch somebody claimed years ago.
Phone photographs print beautifully on stone, so there is no need for a professional shot. If the only picture is slightly blurry or taken in a dim kitchen, send it anyway — we clean it up and crop it to fit the piece, and old or imperfect images are welcome.
The ideas people actually give
A single piece with one photograph and their name and years. This is the most-given pet memorial gift and the one that works for almost everybody. It is quiet, specific, and it does not ask the person to do anything with it except keep it.
Two companions together. Plenty of households had a pair of animals who were inseparable. Keeping both on one piece of stone is something people ask for often, and it works beautifully.
A small piece for a child saying goodbye to a first pet. The smaller sizes feel proportionate and gentle for a young person, and a piece on a nightstand is much harder to lose than a photograph.
A working or service animal tribute. For a K9 partner, a service dog, a therapy animal, or a horse who was family, a piece with their name, their years, and the work they did beside their person.
A piece for the person rather than the household. Ordering one for a friend who lost their dog, shipped straight to their address, is one of the kindest things you can do when you cannot find the right words.
What to write on it, if anything
The photograph usually carries it. If the person would like something more, a name and the years they were together is the most common addition, and a short line works well too — whatever they actually used to say to that animal.
We show the design before anything is printed, so the person who is receiving it can see it, or you can approve it on their behalf if it is a surprise.
Which size suits a pet memorial
The 4 × 6 at $25 and the 5 × 5 at $30 are the sizes most people choose, because the piece stays small enough to live on a nightstand or a kitchen windowsill. The 5 × 7 at $40 is the size we make most often overall, and it still fits comfortably on a shelf.
If two animals are going on one piece, or there are several photographs together, an 8 × 10 at $55 gives the design the room it needs.
One honest note about what this does
People sometimes ask whether a keepsake helps. In our experience the thing that helps is having somewhere for it to go — a real object, in a real spot, that does not need to be explained. It is not a replacement for anything. It is just something to hold on the days that are harder.
There is no rush in any of this, and nothing about a pet memorial should feel hurried. If the person is not ready to look at a picture yet, it is completely fine to hold the idea and come back to it in a few weeks.
By the way
We make these by hand in Coshocton, Ohio, and ship nationwide. Wiley handles the photo selection, cleanup, cropping and layout himself, and he will tell you honestly which photograph of their pet will look best on the stone — you can send two and ask.
A few finished pieces
Sizes and what they cost
- 3 × 5A compact keepsake$15
- 4 × 6The size of a standard photo print$25
- 5 × 5A square, lovely for portraits$30
- 5 × 7Most PopularThe favorite gift size$40
- 6 × 8A step up in presence$45
- 8 × 10The statement piece$55
Every slate is a real piece of natural stone with a photograph printed into it, and every one comes with its own display stand — nothing to frame and nothing to hang.
Most orders are handcrafted within 3 to 5 business days after you approve the design, then shipped. Standard shipping is $10 flat nationwide; expedited is $25 flat and arrives in about 2 to 3 business days after it ships. $25 expedited shipping is always charged. Free standard shipping is available on your first order over $150 through October 31. Sales tax is calculated automatically at checkout for your location.