How to Make an Online Pet Memorial (Step by Step)

Updated November 4, 2026

To make an online pet memorial, choose a memorial site, add your pet's name, dates and best photos, write a short story of their life, decide who can see it, and share the link with the people who loved them. Plan on about an hour, and keep your own copies of everything you upload.

An online memorial gives everyone one place to go: the cousin in another state, the dog walker, the neighbor who fed the cat every summer. It can also be a quiet place for you to come back to on hard days.

What people want from a pet memorial

Families care a lot about getting this right. In a 2020 survey of 2,043 U.S. dog and cat owners, memorial options were the topic people most wanted full detail about: 45.1% said they wanted "all the details" on ways to memorialize their pet. And 45.2% were concerned, to a high degree, that they would not be able to memorialize or honor their pet the way they wanted. So take your time. There is no deadline.

Step 1: Gather what you need

Before you open any website, collect:

• Photos. Go through your phone, your partner's phone, and family group chats. Ask relatives to send their favorites.
• The basics. Full name, nicknames, breed or species, the year or date they came home, and the date they passed, if you want to include it.
• Stories. Jot down quick notes: the first day home, their favorite spot, the thing they always did when you picked up your keys.
• Optional extras. A short video, a scan of the adoption papers, a photo of their paw print.

Ohio State's veterinary medical center suggests creating a journal of your pet's story: "how, when and where you met, unique personality traits, nicknames, what you love the most and what you'll miss the most." Those same prompts make a good memorial page.

Step 2: Choose a site

Online pet memorials come from several kinds of places: free memorial sites, paid memorial sites, social media posts, and pages offered by pet crematories and funeral homes. Pet Passages, for example, offers online tributes to its families. Compare them on these points:

Step 3: Pick the main photo

One photo will be the face of the memorial. Choose one that:

• Shows your pet's face clearly, in good light
• Looks like them on an ordinary good day, not only at the end
• Is sharp when shown at a larger size (photos sent through some chat apps get compressed, so ask for the original)

Then add a handful of others: puppy or kitten photos, a few from the middle years, and everyday moments like the nap spot or the car ride.

Step 4: Write the story

Short paragraphs beat a long essay. A simple outline:

1. How they came home. "We met [Name] at the county shelter in March 2014. She was the only one not barking."
2. Who they were. Two or three habits nobody else had.
3. Their people. Who they followed around, who they ignored.
4. The end, briefly, if you want. One or two sentences is enough. Many people leave it out entirely.
5. What you miss. Specific and small.

If you'd like help with the writing, our guide on how to write a pet obituary has templates, and pet headstone sayings has short lines for the top of the page.

Step 5: Decide who can see it

• Public: anyone with the link, and sometimes anyone browsing the site, can visit, light a candle or leave a note.
• Private: only people you invite can see it.
• In between: some sites let you hide it from search and lists but share it by link.

Think about your photos too. Avoid images that show your home address, house number or other details you wouldn't post publicly.

Step 6: Share it

Send the link with a short, warm note:

We made a small memorial for [Name]. If you'd like to visit, light a candle or leave a memory, it's here: [link]. Thank you for loving her with us.

Some families share it on the day they hold a funeral, or on a meaningful date later. If you're holding a funeral online, see online pet funerals.

Step 7: Back it up

No website can promise forever. Save the photos and the text in a folder you control, and print the story for a memory box. Ohio State also suggests a memory box or frame with your pet's "tags, toys, collars and bedding," which pairs well with a printed copy of the page.

Ideas that make a memorial feel personal

Purdue's veterinary hospital lists dozens of memorial ideas, and several translate well online:

• A digital paw print. Scan or photograph the clay or ink print from your vet.
• A memory poem. Your own words, even if they don't rhyme.
• Recordings. A short clip of a bark, a purr or a song.
• Memories from others. Ask family to add one story each.
• A donation note. If you give to a shelter in your pet's name, mention it.

Making a memorial on Bridgeside

Bridgeside is an online memorial place where each pet has a memorial stone with their photo in a shared dusk meadow. You can make one for free, add photos and a story, choose whether it's public or private, and share a link so family can light a candle or leave a note. You can start without an account (a memorial made that way lasts 24 hours unless you log in to keep it), and you can also hold a free online funeral from the same memorial.

For species-specific ideas, see our guides to dog memorial ideas and cat memorial ideas.