Pets provide us with unconditional love and companionship and become members of the family. When a pet dies, it can be devastating. If you’ve ever lost a pet then you know the loss can be just as profound as grieving a human. 

Because saying goodbye is an important step in the grieving process, many people choose to host pet memorials. A pet loss memorial provides an opportunity to grieve with loved ones and honor the important role your pet played in your life. 

​​What to Say at a Pet Loss Memorial

A pet loss memorial is a good time to share special memories of a pet. You may talk about their funny quirks, the adorable things they did and the way they made you feel loved.

Consider opening with a pet loss memorial quote or saying to start your speech. You may find that a memorial saying for the loss of a pet can express your feelings better than you can yourself. There are also many wonderful pet loss memorial quotes about the joy that they bring to our lives that would be appropriate to use as a pet memorial saying. 

These quotes can also be written in a sympathy card when a loved one loses a pet. To help you get started on what to say, we’ve compiled 40 pet loss memorial sayings and quotes.  

Read more: How to write a memorial tribute

Pet Loss Memorial Quotes: All Pets 

1. “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” – Winnie The Pooh
2. “Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life.” – James Cromwell
3.  “Animals have a much better attitude to life and death than we do. They know when their time has come. We are the ones that suffer when they pass, but it’s a healing kind of grief that enables us to deal with other griefs that are not so easy to grab hold of.” – Emmylou Harris
4. “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” – Anatole France
5. “When we adopt … any pet, we know it is going to end with us having to say goodbye, but we still do it. And we do it for a very good reason — they bring so much joy and optimism and happiness.” – Bruce Cameron
6. “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” – Thomas Campbell
7. “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.”  – Dr. Seuss
8. “Death ends a life, not a relationship.” – Jack Lemmon
9. “Animals are such agreeable friends — they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.” – George Eliot
10. “An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” – Martin Buber
11. “Sometimes losing a pet is more painful than losing a human because, in the case of a pet, you were not pretending to love it.”  – Amy Sedaris
12. “Be kind to all pets and animals because they will be kind back to you.” – J. Wesley Porter

Read more: 10 special ways to say “you’ll be missed” 

Pet Loss Memorial Quotes: Cat

      13. “There are no ordinary cats.” – Colette

14. “No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat.” – Leo Dworkin
15. “I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.” – Jean Cocteau
16. “No one can truly understand the bond we form with the cats we love until they experience the loss of one.” – Unknown
17. “What greater gift than the love of a cat?” – Charles Dickens
18. ​​“When the cat you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.” – Unknown
19. “The smallest feline is a masterpiece.” – Leonardo da Vinci
20. “I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.” – Jules Verne
21. “Time spent with cats is never wasted.” – Sigmund Freud
22. “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” – Albert Schweitzer
23. “Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.” – Colette

Pet Loss Memorial Quotes: Dog

 24. “Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” – Agnes Sligh Turnbull

25 .“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” – Roger Caras

26. “No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you feel rich.” – Louis Sabin

27. “There’s a saying. If you want someone to love you forever, buy a dog, feed it and keep it around.” – Dick Dale

28.“Once you’ve had a wonderful dog, a life without one is a life diminished.” – Dean Koonz

29.“You don’t really own a dog, you rent them, and you have to be thankful that you had a long lease.” – Joe Garagiola

30. “Dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love.” – Gilda Radner

31. “If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” – Will Rogers

32. “You do not own a dog. You have a dog. And the dog has you.” – Chelsea Handler

33. “A dog…is a bond between strangers.” – John Steinbeck

34. “We never really own a dog as much as he owns us.” – Gene Hill

35. “Whoever said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend never owned a dog.” – Unknown

36. “The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.” – Andy Rooney

37. “Dogs and angels are not very far apart.” – Charles Bukowski

38. “Having a dog will bless you with the happiest days of your life and one of the worst days.” – Unknown

39“Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail.” – Kinky Friedman

40. “My little dog — a heartbeat at my feet.” – Edith Wharton 

What to Write on a Dog Urn

If you’ve had your pet cremated, you might be thinking about what you can write on the urn. No matter what kind of pet you’ve cremated, unless the urn is very large, you probably won’t have much space for an inscription. Keep it simple — the pet’s name and years of life are enough. If you have enough room, consider adding their nicknames or a short memorial quote from the list above.

Read more: 9 healthy ways to grieve the loss of a pet