How do I best honor my dog once he's gone?

Question

My Pug is near the end of his amazing life. He's 15 yrs old (91 in human years), he's still spry, alert, & ever-so snuggly...but his heart is weak & he has a collapsed trachea.
At his age, I know he's on borrowed time.
He's my best fiend, I've had him since he was a puppy, I got him shortly after High School, I've basically grown up with him, he's been there for me through the good & bad times, through girlfriends & relocations, etc., etc. Basically put, he's my best friend & while I'm a pretty tough guy, I know it will be one of the toughest things I've ever done to say good-bye to him..that being said I am at a loss as to how to best honor him when he goes. I live in a place where it seems every bit of green space is being bulldozed down, so my thoughts of burying (no cremation) him in a place that will always be are out. I pictured a memorial in a quiet place in the woods where I could go & reflect in peace, that will always be there...I don't know, any ideas?

I do NOT want to cremate him and as far as burying goes, we will be moving from this state in the next 5 years to who knows where, so I dont want to bury him in my backyard as I won't always be able to return. Thats why I wanted to put him in a permanent place where he wont be disturbed & I will always have access to. A place he would enjoy being too.

I'm hearing a lot of suggestions for cremation & while this seems to be the most convienient way to "keep him with me" as it were, I guess my main problems with that are the horror stories I've heard of crematoriums using any old ashes, because there's just no way of knowing, also if there is a storm or an accident. Then he's truly gone...I guess that's some of the main reasons I'm against cremation. I want to know that where he is, he is safe. I know to many this all sounds silly, because I do realize that when he goes, he's gone & no matter what I do it's his memory I'll hold on to. I know this, I just want to be as loyal to him, even in death as he's been to me with his every breath...

Answer 1

I am touched by your devotion to your pug. It is really heartwarming for you to share your innermost feellings about him. We recently lost our 12 year old shih-tzu..earlier this month. It was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, as she was our "first-born". We have a 1/2 acre lot, and we thought of burying her with us. But, living near the park system, we were concerned about animals possibly digging up the sight.

So we decided upon cremation. While, I understand you don't want that, give it some serious thought. We were against it as well. However, we decided to go with it in the end. We brought her ashes home, and placed them in a beautiful little covered urn. I chose our favorite picture of her, and have it sitting next to her urn, on an antique desk that was my grandparents, in our living room. I am somehow comforted by having part of her in the house with me, and I talk to her frequently, which sounds goofy, I know, but it helps me thru my grief.

Do give it some thought...because if you have him cremated, he will go with you wherever you go, and you may be comforted by that.

Answer 2

Oh, how my heart goes out to you! Tears are rolling down my face as I write this. I lost my beloved puggie girl in January to cancer. She was nine. I did decide to cremate her and keep her ashes with me, for the same reasons you are wondering what to do with your boy when the time comes. I do not anticipate being in my current home for years to come. I really do like your idea of placing him in a special, peaceful area where he won't be disturbed. Even if you do move away, he'll always be in a peaceful quiet spot and you can remember him there.

To answer your question another way - to honor him, you could also make a donation to a pug rescue group. I volunteer for one and know that there are several groups nationwide that do wonderful work rescuing precious pugs.

Best of luck!!

Answer 3

I totally understand your love for your dog. My first thought is to suggest cremation, as many others have done, so you can keep him with you. Like some mentioned, I also plan to have my pets' remains buried with me. If that's definitely not for you, then I would look for a local pet cemetery.

My other suggestion is to create an online memorial for him on Find a Grave. You can write a bio of him, add pics of him, a picture of the grave marker (if you get one), and even leave him virtual flowers or custom symbols. Then even after you move, you can still view his virtual grave online any time you want.

Answer 4

I lost my soul mate dog to cancer at 13 3 years ago. We had her cremated. This sounds silly but I have her ashes in a silver urn in her bowl, with her collar and tags in a special drawer in my china cupboard. When I die, I have in my will, that I want the ashes of my dogs buried with me. Her especially.

The one thing that we did do was rescue another dog. It didn't replace her. No one can. But I felt like she gave up her place in her home so that someone else could have it. In turn, that dog we took from the rescue, made room for another dog to come in and be saved. By her leaving me, she saved others lives.

Make sense? I see our "new" girl and every day she makes me smile because she is Lily's gift to me.

Sappy I know, but it's a great way to honor your dog. My Lily girl would be happy to know she made room for another dog to share our lives.

Edit:
The main reason I had her cremated was that I wanted to keep her with me. I didn't want to bury her in the yard, or someplace else where she only visited. It's a personal decision and I understand completely.

There are some lovely pet cemeteries now, at least in our area. Maybe someplace like that?
It's a horrible thing to think about. All of us are thinking about you and your sweet boy.

Answer 5

i had to let go of my best friend too. he was a big old rottweiler and he was 10 yrs old but we knew he wasn't happy even tho he acted like everything was ok. we finally had to make the decision after a little bit that he needed to get out of pain. so thats when we put him down(ended up he had a fast spreading cancer) and i felt like i lost everything that day but i keep his collars hung up in my room and eevery pic i have of him underneath it. he's also buried in the back yard and i planted flowers all around where he is. i feel much better now that i know he's not hurtin. hopefully u can do the same without any regrets and b happy.

Answer 6

Can you remember a place where you and your dog were most happy, I can probably tell you where that was ..... together. I have lost dogs and I can only say that as an individual who cares a lot about his dog then how you remember him will be just what he wanted as he is your best friend don't stress yet until the time comes, and heaven forbid it does, you will know what is the best way to honour, respect and give him the dignity he deserves as you knew him best.

Answer 7

Bury your dog in your back yard and do what you know your dog would want.Your dog would want you to be happy.So don't mope around to much,but make sure you don't forget him permanatley. But for know...you know your dog doesn't want to go,so treat him best and don't think about it.
It will be hard but you have to move on,but don't blame your self and always keep a little memory with you. It's okay to forget every now and then , but don't COMPLETELY forget.

Answer 8

I agree with you. Find a nice place in the woods where it is unlikely for something to be built. Buy a nice marker and have his name engraved on it. I know Petsmart sells those.

My heart goes out to you in this really difficult time.

Answer 9

Get him cremated and keep the ashes in an urn.. Lots of people do that.. What I did when my bestfriend ( yeah a Doberman, not a person :) died.. I had her tattooed on my shoulder.

Answer 10

When I lost my horse, I cut some hair from the tail and braided it to keep. Perhaps you can get a pawprint of your dog in ceramic or a framed photo as a reminder. Your memorial idea is also good.