A Buddhist Pet Memorial: Practices for Home and Temple

Updated November 4, 2026

Buddhist families often remember a pet who has passed by placing the pet's photo near the home altar, offering incense or a flower, sitting quietly, and dedicating a good deed in the pet's memory. Some American temples, especially Japanese American temples of the Jodo Shinshu tradition, also hold pet memorial services where families write their pet's name on a card and place a photo near the altar.

Buddhism isn't one tradition. Practices differ between Jodo Shinshu, Zen, Tibetan, Theravada, Vietnamese and other communities, and within families. This guide describes what some American temples have done and offers a simple home practice. It's an outsider's overview, not teaching. Your minister, priest or teacher is the right person to guide you.

What some American temples do

Spokane Buddhist Temple. At a 2019 pet memorial service held as part of its Sunday service, families filled out a card with their pet's name, the year the pet died, and their own name. They could bring a photo to place on the naijin, the inner altar area, and the photos were returned afterward. The temple explained the service as rooted in the teaching that "all sentient beings have Buddha nature."

Salt Lake Buddhist Temple. The temple holds its pet memorial service in February, alongside Nehan-e, the observance of the Buddha's passing into Nirvana. In the temple's February 2026 newsletter, Rolen Yoshinaga writes that remembrance is about honoring what has shaped our lives, not clinging to what is gone. He describes his daughter placing her dog's photo in the family Obutsudan, the home altar, and his own choice to keep his dog's ashes there "for a time," writing: "Not because she needed protection, but because I did."

If you belong to a temple, ask whether it holds a pet memorial service and how to include your pet's name.

Tibetan practices

In Tibetan Buddhism, teachers have given detailed instructions for caring for animals at death. In a 2008 piece published by Lion's Roar, Lama Zopa Rinpoche describes reciting mantras for an animal, blessing the body, having prayers performed at cremation by a qualified practitioner, and dedicating merit for the animal's good rebirth. These practices are meant to be done with a teacher's guidance, so ask yours rather than copying them from a website.

A simple home practice

This takes 10 to 15 minutes and fits most traditions. Adjust it to what your family practices.

1. Prepare a small space. Place your pet's photo near your home altar, or on a clean table if you don't have one. Add a flower, and incense if you use it.
2. Gather. "We're together to remember [Name]."
3. Say the name. Say your pet's name and the years you shared. Some families also write the name on a card, as the Spokane temple did.
4. Offer incense or a flower. In the way your tradition teaches. If you're unsure, a simple bow with palms together, or just placing a flower, is enough.
5. Sit quietly. A few minutes of silence, with attention on gratitude.
6. Share memories. Each person shares one.
7. Kind wishes. Our own words, not a sutra: "May everyone who misses [Name] be at ease. May all beings be safe and well."
8. Dedicate a good deed. Name a kindness you'll do in your pet's memory.
9. Close. "Thank you for sitting with us."

Good deeds in a pet's memory

Dedicating merit or a good deed to a loved one is a familiar idea in many Buddhist traditions; Lama Zopa's instructions, for example, close with dedicating merit. For a pet, a good deed might be:

• A donation to an animal shelter or rescue
• Volunteering at a shelter for a day
• Feeding birds through the winter
• Planting something for pollinators
• Offering help to a neighbor's aging animal

Ohio State's veterinary medical center also suggests donating "time, money or talent in your pet's honor to an animal charity," for families of any faith.

Things to be careful about

• Releasing animals. Some traditions practice releasing captive animals as an act of merit. Releasing pet-store fish, turtles or birds into the wild can harm them and local wildlife; Alaska's Department of Fish and Game, for one, warns that dumping aquarium animals into waters can spread disease and invasive species and is illegal there. A donation or volunteering is a safer kindness.
• Making promises. Teachings about rebirth vary. In a mixed family, or with children, it's kind to speak about gratitude and love rather than to promise what happens next.
• Borrowing rituals. If your family isn't Buddhist but loved the calm of a temple, the quiet-sitting practice above works without claiming a tradition that isn't yours.

If you don't belong to a temple

Not every Buddhist family belongs to a temple, and you can hold the home practice above on your own. If you'd like a temple service, call a nearby temple, explain that you aren't a member, and ask whether visitors may include a pet's name at a pet memorial service. The worst answer is a polite no.

Talking with children

Children may ask where their pet went. If your family's teaching is complex, it's fine to keep it simple and honest: "Pepper died. Her body stopped working. We're going to remember her and be kind to other animals for her." Use the word "died" with young children; softer phrases can confuse them. Let them light the incense with you, place the flower, or say the pet's name aloud. Our guide on explaining a pet's death to a child has more.

Ashes and the home altar

Some Buddhist families keep ashes at home, sometimes at the altar for a period of time, as the Salt Lake newsletter describes, and later elsewhere. Customs differ, so ask your temple. See keeping a pet's ashes at home for urns and placement.

Remembering together from far away

If your sangha or family is spread out, you can sit together online. Bridgeside offers a free "family remembrance at a small altar," with incense and your pet's name, based on what some Japanese American temples do, and a "quiet sitting and kind wishes" order. Neither is a temple service, and your minister or teacher is always welcome to lead.