Honoring Our Beloved Pets with an Obituary
Visitors to our website may have noticed that we have added
pet obituaries to our services. This idea came about after several people in
our circle of family, friends, and neighbors lost their precious pets this
summer. We lost our sweet little dog Megan two years ago, so we knew just how
painfully sad this is for a family.
This loss is real and to many it’s like losing a family
member. Yet, we don’t typically deal with the loss of a pet in the same way.
There’s no funeral, no gathering of family and friends, no obituary.
When our dog died at the age of 14, I wrote an obituary for
her because writing made me feel a little bit better. I don’t think I showed the obituary to anyone because I thought it might seem silly. Then, two
weeks later, my father-in-law died and our focus shifted. I set Megan’s
obituary aside and forgot about it.
On the day of Megan’s death, our veterinarian offered to
arrange the cremation, but Tim said he would take care of it himself. He
wrapped Megan in a blanket, gently placed her in the back of the car, and drove
her to a crematorium.
Our college-aged daughters took Megan's death very hard,
after all, Megan had been with them through everything: school, friendships, parties,
and holidays. She comforted them through many difficult times. To help them
with their loss, Tim had a memorial portrait made and we hung it prominently in
the living room. When her ashes were returned, he placed them in an urn
decorated with little paw prints. For Christmas we gave the girls silver
necklaces with charms embossed with her paw print.
All of these symbols of remembrance helped us very much.
Today, I am wondering why we never thought that others might benefit from these
services in the same way.
After all, today people treat their dogs and cats much
differently than they did in the past. I was raised with dogs – dogs that lived
in the house. Our family dog was Cindy, an Old English Sheepdog who never left
my mother’s side. My mother’s parents had Barfy, a collie who was the sweet
baby of their family and my father’s parents had Fritz, a strong-willed
Dachshund who acted like he was the town’s mayor. However, many people I knew
had dogs who stayed outside, tied up to a dog house. Many dogs back then were
treated like, well, dogs. Now, dogs are treated like children and
grandchildren. Their status has been elevated.
Of course, there will always be people who are satisfied
with a backyard burial, but maybe there are others who want a little bit more
for their pets. With that being said, it seems that these sweet, lovable and
faithful companions should be remembered in a special way when they pass, even
if it’s just a small remembrance.
Right now, that small remembrance at the Thompson-Marodi Funeral
Home can be an obituary. An obituary that will give you the opportunity to tell
your pet’s story: how they came into your life; what they liked to eat; their
special skills and quirks; how they played, and how much they loved. You can
write the memorial yourself or you can email us the information so we can write
it for you. This complimentary service, which can also include photos, is
available to anyone who would like to remember their pet in a special way.
Please note, the pet obituaries are listed on a separate page on the website.
Click here to view the obituaries that have already been
posted on our
If you would like to submit an obituary (it doesn't matter if your pet died yesterday or five years ago) please include the
following information:
Name and breed of pet
Name of pet's family members
Pet's birthday or adoption day
Pet's date of death and estimated age
Include your pet's qualities, personality traits, special
skills, favorite activities, likes, dislikes, etc.
Include a clear picture of your pet, something that will
reproduce well
We are currently working on expanding our pet services to
include cremations, pet cremation merchandise that will include urns, memorial
portraits and paw print jewelry. We are also planning to host a service on National Pet Memorial Day, September 13, 2020. Please let us know if you would like to participate.
Here is a link to the National Pet Memorial Day Tribute we published for the event in 2019:
Click here to read the obituary for our little Megan:
For more information and to submit an obituary, contact the Thompson-Marodi Funeral Home, Inc. at tmarodi@gmail.com
This article was written by Randi Marodi of the Thompson-Marodi Funeral Home, Inc. www.thompson-marodi.com
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