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Pet funeral words for Protestant Christian families

These are the funerals for Protestant Christian families at Bridgeside, with every step in order and the words they use. The host can change or leave out any of them.

A family remembrance with hymns and stories

An informal family gathering, loosely following the order many mainline Protestant families know from church: a hymn, Scripture, remembering a life, and prayer. It isn't an official rite of any church. About 15 to 20 minutes.

The order of steps

  1. Gathering and a hymnWelcome everyone and say your pet's name. It doesn't matter how long ago your pet passed. It's never too late for this. Start with a hymn your family knows, sung or read together. "Abide with Me" and "All Creatures of Our God and King" are old and widely known.
  2. Opening prayer (optional)Thank God in your own words for your pet's life, and ask for comfort for everyone who's grieving. If you'd rather not pray out loud, ask someone else to, or take a moment of quiet.
  3. Psalm 23Read it slowly, or ask a family member to read. This is the King James Version. You can read from your own Bible instead.

    The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

    Source: Psalm 23, King James Version (1611, as standardized in 1769), public domain in the United States

  4. Remembering a lifeSay your pet's full name, when they came into your life, and what home was like with them. Then invite others to share briefly what they're thankful for.
  5. Prayer together (optional)Pray in your own words for everyone who misses your pet. Then, if your family would like, say the Lord's Prayer in the words you know.
  6. Laying a flower (optional)Invite anyone who'd like to come forward and lay a flower by your pet's photo. Nobody has to say anything.
  7. A closing hymn and parting wordsEnd with a hymn or a few quiet words of your own. Thank everyone for coming, and let people leave when they're ready.

A simple family remembrance with Scripture

A short, simple family gathering of prayer, Scripture and stories, for Evangelical and other Protestant families. It's an informal family gathering, not an official rite of any church, and you don't need a pastor. About 10 to 15 minutes.

The order of steps

  1. Welcome and opening prayerWelcome everyone and say why you've gathered. It doesn't matter how long ago your pet passed. It's never too late for this. Open with a short prayer in your own words, or ask someone to pray.
  2. Psalm 121Read it slowly, or ask a family member to read. This is the King James Version. You can read a passage from your own Bible instead.

    I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

    Source: Psalm 121, King James Version (1611, as standardized in 1769), public domain in the United States

  3. Stories and thanksShare a story about your pet, and invite others to share theirs. Short and ordinary is fine.
  4. A word of comfort (optional)Christians differ on what happens to animals after they pass, and you don't need to settle that today. Talk about what comforts your family, in your own words, or skip this step.
  5. A hymn (optional)Sing or read a hymn your family knows, like "Amazing Grace." Silence is fine too.
  6. Closing prayerClose with a short prayer for everyone who's grieving, and thank people for coming.

A short graveside gathering

A brief family gathering beside your pet's stone, the way many Protestant funerals end with close family at the graveside. It's an informal family gathering, not an official rite of any church. About 10 minutes.

The order of steps

  1. Gathering at the stoneAsk everyone to stand close. It doesn't matter how long ago your pet passed, or where they were laid to rest. It's never too late for this.
  2. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4Read it slowly, or ask a family member to read. This is the King James Version.

    Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

    Source: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, King James Version (1611, as standardized in 1769), public domain in the United States

  3. A few words (optional)Say a few words about your pet, and invite anyone who'd like to add theirs.
  4. A flower at the stone (optional)Lay a flower at the stone, and invite others to do the same, one at a time.
  5. A closing prayerClose with a short prayer in your own words, or a moment of quiet, and walk away together when you're ready.

A family remembrance based on an Episcopal service

An informal family gathering that follows the order of "Service at the Loss of a Beloved Animal," which the Episcopal Church's General Convention made available in 2012. This is an adaptation, not that service, and not an official rite of the Episcopal Church. About 15 to 20 minutes.

The order of steps

  1. A song of creationWelcome everyone. It doesn't matter how long ago your pet passed. It's never too late for this. The published service opens with a song of creation, said or sung. You can read it at https://digitalarchives.episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/acts/acts_resolution-complete.pl?resolution=2012-A054 or start with a song you know.
  2. Opening prayerSay your pet's name and the names of the people who loved them. Give thanks for the love your pet brought, and ask for comfort for everyone who's grieving, in your own words or from the published text.
  3. Job 12:7-10This is one of the readings the published service suggests, here in the King James Version. You can choose another from its list, or read from your own Bible.

    But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

    Source: Job 12:7-10, King James Version (1611, as standardized in 1769), public domain in the United States

  4. Remembering (optional)Share what your pet meant to you, and invite others to do the same. We added this step for families who want it. The published service doesn't have a set place for it.
  5. PrayersSay the Lord's Prayer in the words you know. Then pray for the people who cared for your pet. The published prayers give thanks for companionship, ask forgiveness for any way we fell short, and offer peace to anyone who had to make the decision to end a pet's suffering. Use them, or your own words.
  6. A moment of silence (optional)Observe a moment of silence together. You decide how long.
  7. A flower for the earth (optional)In the published service, a burial or the scattering of ashes can happen here, if the family is doing one. Here, lay a flower. Nothing has to have been buried or scattered for this to count.
  8. A closing hymn and prayerThe published service closes with "All Creatures of Our God and King" and a short prayer sending everyone on their way. Sing or read whatever you'd like, then say your goodbyes quietly.

When you are ready

Choose this funeral when you hold one, and change any of the words to fit your pet.

Hold a free funeral with these words