The loss of a beloved pet is an experience all pet owners must face. You may feel the time came too soon to consider their final resting place. When you are ready, there are a number of things to consider when choosing a pet urn. Please use this guide to help you make the best decision for your pet's memorial urn.

Choosing the Right Size

There are a number of questions to ask when considering a pet urn. First, it's important to choose the correct size urn for your pet. Its best to assume every eight pounds of pet will require 10 cubic inches of inside urn space. For example, an 80 pound pet requires a pet urn with 100 cubic inches of space inside. If you are wavering between urn sizes for your pet, it’s better to have too much space, then not enough.

Think About Setting

Another thing to consider is where you will be displaying or storing the urn. Will it be on display in a particular room? If so, you should choose a material and color that will coordinate with that room. If you plan on having the pet urn be the focal point on the room, consider an urn that is intricately designed or carries a more artistic material. Pet urns are available in a variety of materials including brass, wood, glass, bronze, ceramic and marble. If burying your pets remains is what you’ve chosen, you may want to consider a biodegradable pet urn. This will allow you to give your pet the proper goodbye in a style that suits you, while still protecting the environment.

Select a Comfortable Budget

Even when considering something as important as honoring your departed pet, it still may be important to stay within budget. Pet urns come in a variety of prices. If you are looking to stay in a lower budget range, consider a small pendent pet urn that will only hold a portion of your pets ashes. If money is not a factor, the options are endless and can even be personalized with pictures, designs or sculptures of your pet. No one wants to experience the loss of a loved pet. Being able to store or display their ashes in a beautiful pet urn and remember them for years to come is one of the best ways to honor their memory and keep them close.

What if I told you that, in time, the pain will go away? That, years from now, you will look fondly on the good memories of your pet without your heart breaking? Well, it’s not only possible; it’s true. According to popular psychology, there is a process of grieving that most people go through when dealing with a loss. Understanding this process will help you see the light at the end of the tunnel of grief. The theory of coping with death was developed by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and is easily recognized by the acronym DABDA: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Briefly, each stage of coping is described below:

1. Denial -- “There’s no way this could be happening to me."
2. Anger -- "Why me? I don’t deserve this.”
3. Bargaining -- “Maybe if I tried this new medication or procedure, he wouldn’t die.”
4. Depression -- “I don’t know how to deal with this. I’m just so sad.”
5. Acceptance -- “It will be okay. I can accept this.”

When grieving a loss of a pet (or any other loved one), it’s important to know that emotions like anger and denial are normal and that, although you may always miss your best friend, you will one day be able to move on. If your emotions seem too much to handle on your own, don’t feel bad about seeking help, either from friends or from a professional. You can also consider letting Best Friend Services help you choose the best pet memorial for your dog, cat or other pet. When you’ve moved through the grieving process, you’ll be thankful you’ve chosen to memorialize your loved one in such a special way. Having a physical remembrance in place for your pet can help you to find closure to the grieving process.

You may be prepared for the loss of your own pet, but what about your friends and family? Do they have a plan in place? Often times, when faced with the impending death of a loved one, people forget to ask some of the questions that should seem obvious: Will the pet be buried or cremated? How will we tell the kids? Will we hold a service? So, when a friend experiences a loss, there are plenty of ways you can help soften the blow and take care of some of the details for them. Some ideas for how you can help:

• Arrange a casual gathering to share memories of and stories about the family pet. Plan it at a comfortable place with familiar friends and good food.
• Create a photo album of pet photos as a gift for your friend. If you can make it a surprise, it might be even more special to them.
• Bring your friend a homemade meal on their first day without their pet to give them a day off. Offer to eat the meal with them--they may want company. (Or they may not! Always ask first.)
• Help them choose a way to commemorate their pet in a more permanent way with a memorial plaque or urn. Best Friend Services offers various options for the perfect gift. But, if you can't decide which product is best, one safe bet is a Best Friends Services gift certificate.

No matter how you choose to help your friend mourn their loss, remember that being present and available to help is the best thing you can do. The rest will fall into place.

When your beloved pet comes to the end of his or her life, one of the last things you want to be worrying about is the cost of medical treatment, euthanasia, burial or cremation. Your emotions are overwhelming, and having to figure out how to pay for these expenses just isn't something you should have to be thinking about. Thankfully, insurance coverage for your pet is becoming more and more common and affordable. While pet insurance has been around since 1890, only recently has it become so readily available. 

Different plans offer highly varied coverage for end-of-life expenses, so do your research. Most pet health insurance plans are intended to help you with medical expenses during your pet's life to keep him healthy. But some plans do offer coverage for final expenses. Some plans will pay up to a specified amount (typically around $100-$200) for burial or cremation expenses. Some will pay for euthanasia should your pet need it. Others will reimburse your for the purchase price of your pet should he die from accidental causes.

Here are just a handful of popular pet insurance plans that have plans that cover final expenses:

• 24PetWatch covers accidental death, and euthanasia, including burial or cremation.
• Petplan Pet Insurance covers death from illness or injury.
• Petfirst covers burial or cremation.
• PetCare covers accidental death and euthanasia.

The time to think about insurance coverage for your pet is of course while he is healthy and happy. Though you may not want to envision the possibility of your pet's death, the truth is that it's just good planning and will be a lot easier now than when your pet is nearing the end of his life. 

The loss of a pet can be devastating. Often, your pet has become a true, integral part of the family. When they pass, you experience immense amounts of grief. It can be hard to deal with the strong emotions and learn to heal. Thankfully, you don't have to figure it out on your own. There are many helpful resources out there to help you to move through the grieving process in a healthy way. Here are a few books that may help you to find some measure of comfort.