Losing a Furry Friend is Never Easy

They’re known as “man’s best friend" for a good reason. In the following article, you can see just how truly attached and loving dogs can be. Now to some, a dog may just be another animal among the millions of animals around the world, while for others adopting a dog is like having a baby or adopting a child into your family. For many adopting a dog is so much more than adopting a pet, it is extending your family. In the same way that losing a human family member hurts, losing your dog can hurt just as much for some people, in some cases it may even hurt them more.

The simplest things in life make them happy, it’s hard not to be jealous of the simplicity in your dog’s life, and nothing else in your life will provide such unconditional love.

Similar to other pieces you may have previously read about gifts to give someone during challenging times in life, we want to welcome you to our newest gift-giving piece. As you continue reading, you will learn about some of the best gifts to give someone who recently lost their furry pal.

Gifts to give your friend who recently lost their dog.

Some ways to cheer them up

Losing your furry friend is never easy. Do you know anyone who has recently lost their dog? This may be a friend, family member, or even coworker. You want to show them you care and are sorry for their loss. What better way than to gift them something to cheer them up and help make their day? It is important to remember they may not respond in the most upbeat way. They are mourning something that had been a big part of their life for possibly many years. 

We hope you can find a gift to cheer them up, even if only for the shortest amount of time. Above all else, be there for them if they want to talk or need a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes just being there for someone as they go through a tough time is the best thing we can do.

A personalized pet name coffee mug.

Is your friend or family member an avid coffee or tea drinker? Or enjoy drinking beverages out of a mug? Consider gifting them a personalized mug. Find a mug with a quote or saying or even a picture you think they will like. Consider is finding an online store where you can upload a picture and have it printed onto a coffee mug.

A plaque.

Some vets allow people to get their furry friends’ paw prints painted or pushed into the clay before they are cremated. If you are close with the individual who lost their dog, this may be something that you try to coordinate with their vet. When vets do this, you will have the ability to memorialize your furry friend’s paw. You can personalize the plaque to make it more special for the recipient who lost their dog.

Create a meal train.

A meal train is for individuals who are going through hard times and need extra support. You will take the task of cooking and planning meals off their hands as they mourn for their furry friend. 

Let’s talk about setting up a meal train. First and foremost, you will need to gather your loved one’s meal and dietary preferences. Then you can create a sign-up for individuals participating in the meal train. This allows everyone to write down their names, the date they plan to bring food over, and the meal they plan to cook for them. This is so that everyone can see what is being contributed to the meal train and so that the recipient of the meal train isn’t overwhelmed with too much food or too much of the same food at once. Having the assigned dates allows them to have time to eat some of the food they are being gifted without accumulating too much.

Another good thing to remember is what your friend’s allergies are or if they have any foods they dislike. While committing a good deed, the last thing you want to do is make that person sick. This leads to our final point of making sure that those participating in the meal train not only provide a combination of meals that can be heated up in the oven or frozen but also include instructions for heating or reheating the food they have contributed to the meal train. For more information on starting a food train and different recipes and tips, we recommend you head to Give Inkind. 

A paw print sun catcher.

Does your friend have a porch or a sunny window that they enjoy sitting by? If so, this is a thoughtful gift for you to consider getting for your loved one. A sun catcher is a nice sentimental piece. As the sun shines through, it creates a rainbow or sparkly reflection. The paw print can also be a great reminder of the furry friend.

Custom jewelry.

Now a gift such as this can be a true hit or miss. We recommend this gift to individuals looking to get something for loved ones who have recently lost their furry friend. Different jewelry options to consider gifting include bracelets, necklaces, and even earrings. Consider items with their furry friend’s name or perhaps even a picture engraved in them. Gifting this allows the recipient to wear a small part of their furry friend. 

Other options include gifting a locket with a picture or two that the recipient loves of their furry friend. One jewelry item to consider getting for your friend is a small capsule to hold some of the dog’s cremains. These little capsules will permit your friend to carry a piece of them around with them.

A photo album.

We recommend this to create something sentimental for your friend or loved one who has recently lost their dog. Some of the different things to consider adding to the photo album are from your favorite images of the dog and the recipient. Also images of their dog, including memories you have had with them. You can also add quotes and other sentimental pieces.

These are just some of the many gift ideas you can get someone when their dog dies. We aren’t going to insist that you have to stick to our gift suggestions. But we hope that you were able to find an idea or two for gifting someone a pick me up who has recently lost their dog.