How to Hold a Pet Funeral at Home

Updated November 4, 2026

A pet funeral at home can be as simple as a few people, a photo, and ten minutes of saying goodbye. You don't need a pet funeral home, a clergy member, or a script: pick a quiet place, invite the people who loved your pet, say a few words, and close with something you can do with your hands, like placing a flower or a stone.

Most American families have never held one. In a 2013 Harris Poll, 16% of U.S. adults said they had ever held or attended a funeral or memorial service for a pet. Interest runs higher than that: in a 2020 survey of 2,043 U.S. dog and cat owners, 26.1% said they would be extremely likely, and 32.8% somewhat likely, to use a pet funeral or memorial service if one were available. So if you feel a little self-conscious planning one, you are not alone, and you are not doing anything strange.

First, if your pet passed at home

If your pet just passed, the funeral can wait a few hours. Take care of the body first.

• Move your pet onto a towel or blanket and into the coolest room of the house. Gently arrange them in a natural resting position.
• Keep the body cool. Lap of Love, a national in-home veterinary hospice network, advises planning burial or transport within 12 to 24 hours, and sooner in warm weather. A wrapped ice pack helps in summer.
• Call your veterinarian or an aftercare provider if you want cremation. Many clinics will take a body for cremation, and most will also let you take your pet home for burial, according to the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.
• Ask for a keepsake. Many clinics will make a clay or ink paw print or clip a lock of fur if you ask.

If you plan to bury your pet in your yard, read how to bury a pet and the rules for backyard burial before you dig. If your pet was euthanized, burial depth matters for wildlife and other animals.

Decide what kind of funeral you want

There is no single right form. Ohio State's veterinary medical center suggests "a funeral, burial, candle lighting ceremony, memorial or a 'celebration of life' service," held "privately or" with "those who had a special relationship with your pet." In practice, home funerals fall into a few shapes:

• A graveside goodbye. The family gathers in the yard, says a few words, places the body or the ashes, and fills the grave together.
• A living-room service. A small table with a photo, a candle and the collar. People sit, share stories, and keep a moment of quiet.
• A walk. Purdue's veterinary hospital suggests "a walking ceremony on your pet's favorite path." You stop at the spots your pet loved and say a few words at each one.
• A celebration of life. More stories and laughter, maybe a toast, which Purdue also lists.

You can mix these. Many families start inside and end at the grave.

Who to invite

Keep it small. The people who fed, walked, cuddled and argued with your pet are the right audience: household members, a grandparent, the neighbor who pet-sat, a close friend. If someone important lives far away, set up a video call on a phone or laptop and point it at the table or the grave. For a fuller version that works for everyone at a distance, see online pet funerals.

Children can come if they want to. Ohio State encourages letting children honor a pet "in their own way," and KidsHealth suggests holding a ceremony or sharing memories of good times. A child can hold the photo, light the candle with an adult, or read a few lines they wrote. Our guide on explaining a pet's death to a child covers the words to use beforehand.

What to set out

You likely have everything already.

• A photo of your pet, printed or on a tablet
• The collar, harness, leash, or a favorite toy
• A candle (or a battery candle for kids and windy yards)
• A few flowers, from the yard or the grocery store
• A blanket or towel your pet liked, if you are burying them
• A shovel, and a flat stone or marker, if there is a burial
• Paper and pens, so people can write a note to leave in the grave or keep in a memory box

A simple order for a home funeral

This takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Change anything that doesn't fit your family.

1. Welcome (1 minute). "Thank you for being here. We're here to remember [Name] and say goodbye."
2. [Name]'s story (3 minutes). One person tells how your pet came into your life, what their days looked like, and what you'll miss.
3. A reading (2 minutes, optional). A short poem, a psalm, or something you wrote. See readings for a non-religious pet funeral or Christian prayers for a pet.
4. Stories from everyone (5 to 10 minutes). Go around once. Passing is fine.
5. A moment of quiet (1 minute). Light the candle first, if you like.
6. The goodbye (2 minutes). Place a flower, a note or a handful of soil. If there is a burial, fill the grave together.
7. Close. "Thank you for loving [Name] with us." Then share a meal or a walk.

For more detail and versions for different faiths, see our pet funeral order of service. If you're stuck on what to say, our guide on what to say at a pet funeral has opening lines, a short eulogy outline and closing words.

If you're holding it after cremation

Cremation often takes days or longer, so many families hold the funeral when the ashes come home. That timing works well. You can place the urn on the table, choose a spot in the house for it together, or carry the ashes to a place your pet loved. If you are thinking about scattering, our guide to scattering a pet's ashes covers permission and practical tips.

Small things that make it easier

• Pick one person to lead. Their job is just to say "Let's begin" and "Thank you for coming."
• Write the words down. Grief makes it hard to remember what you planned to say. A notecard helps.
• Expect tears and laughter. Both are normal at a pet funeral, often in the same minute.
• Keep something from the day. The candle stub, the written notes, a photo of the table. These go well in a memory box, which Ohio State also suggests.

When family can't be there

If you want a funeral where relatives in other states can actually attend, not just watch a phone propped on a chair, Bridgeside lets you hold a free online funeral in a quiet setting, with an invite link that family can open in a browser and join as avatars. You can also hold the home funeral in person and invite everyone else to a short online gathering afterward.