World Pet Memorial Day Date in the current year: June 11, 2024

Pets play an important role in our lives. They love us unconditionally, accept us with all our imperfections, and never judge. For many people, their pets are practically family, and their death causes a great deal of grief, regardless of whether they have lived in the family for a couple of years or more than a decade. To help pet owners cope with the loss of their pets, the American Veterinary Medical Association created World Pet Memorial Day.

There are many ways to honor the memory of your beloved pet and to reflect on its life. One of the easiest things you can do is share pictures of your pet and stories from your time together on social media, using the hashtag #worldpetmemorialday to spread the world about the observance and encourage other pet owners who’ve lost their pets to open up and celebrate the lives of their departed pets.

In addition to sharing memories of your pet online, you can print photos of your pet, get them framed, and hang them on the walls or put on your work desk. If you have time and skills, you can use these photos to make a collage or a scrapbook album filled with mementos to keep your pet’s memory alive. Some people commission portraits of their pets from artists or even get tattoos of their pets to remember them always.

If you have a garden, you can put a memorial stone for your pet there or, if a memorial stone seems too somber to you, plant a tree, shrub or a bed of flowers in honor of your pet. Another great idea is to donate your pet possessions (food, toys, bed, etc.) to a local pet shelter — of course, if you are ready to turn over a new leaf. If you’re not, that’s totally okay, give yourself time to grief. You can donate money or volunteer your time instead if you still want to support the shelter.

Some people cope with the death of their pet by adopting a new one when they feel the time is right. Of course, a new animal cannot fully replace the one you lost because each pet is unique, but a new companion may be exactly what you need to move on. Moving on is not forgetting; it is accepting the absence of your beloved pet and finding the strength to love again.

And please, remember that it is okay to grieve over the loss of your pet and feel sad on World Pet Memorial Day, even if months or even years have passed since your pet died. The pain is real, and you have the right to take as much time as you need to process it.