Pet memorial gift ideas that are not tacky
By Amy Byrne · · 5 min read
When someone loses an animal, most gifts try too hard. A well-printed photograph, framed and ready to hang, is the one thing people keep.
I get asked about this more than anything else, and it is always the same worry: everything on offer feels either mawkish or mass-produced.
What to avoid
- Engraved slogans. "Until we meet again" on a slate plaque ages badly. It says more about the shop than the animal.
- Anything with a date on it. It fixes the gift to the worst day rather than the good years.
- Novelty. Paw-print keyrings and cartoon caricatures are for a birthday, not for this.
- Rushing. A gift that arrives three weeks later, when everyone else has gone quiet, often lands better than one that arrives in the first week.
What people actually keep
A framed photograph. It is not original advice, and that is exactly why it works — it is the one memorial object that gets hung on a wall rather than put in a drawer.
Three things make the difference between a keepsake and a printout:
- The photo. Not the posed one. The one where the dog is mid-run, or asleep in a patch of sun, or looking at their person. Character over composition, every time.
- The size. 8×10″ suits a shelf or a hallway. 12×16″ is the size that reads as a piece of art rather than a photo. Sizing by room is covered in the print size guide.
- The frame. An unframed print says "you sort it out". A framed one can be hung the day it arrives, which matters when someone has no energy for errands.
Black and white
Colour photographs of animals can look raw when the loss is recent — the grass too green, the day too bright. A black-and-white print is quieter and holds up over years. Every image here can be printed in black and white at no extra cost, and there is a black and white collection if you want to see how it reads.
Using their own photo
If you have a photograph of their animal on a phone, that is usually the right image. Get in touch through the contact page — I will tell you honestly whether the file is large enough to print at the size you want, and at what size it will still look good. A phone photo taken in daylight will normally print well up to 12×16″.
What to write
Short. "Thought you'd like this one of him." Nothing more is needed, and anything more tends to be for the sender rather than the recipient.
Prices
Prints are €10–€50 depending on size, plus €15 for oak framing, excluding postage. Half of every order goes to Forever Home Sanctuary.
Have a look at dog wall art, horse wall art or the full shop.
Frequently asked
- What is a good memorial gift for someone who has lost a dog?
- A framed photograph is the memorial gift people actually keep. Choose a candid image over a posed one, print it at 8×10″ for a shelf or 12×16″ for a wall, and have it framed so it can be hung straight away.
- Can you print a photo of my own pet?
- Yes — send it through the contact page and I will tell you what size it will print well at. A daylight phone photo will normally hold up to 12×16″.
- Should a pet memorial print be black and white?
- Often yes. Black and white is quieter than colour when a loss is recent and ages better on a wall. Any image here can be printed in black and white at no extra cost.
- How much does a framed memorial print cost?
- Prints run from €10 to €50 depending on size, with oak framing at +€15. A framed 8×10″ comes to €35, excluding postage.
More guides
- Wall art room by room: nursery, home office and hallway
Which prints suit a nursery, a home office and a hallway — sizes, subjects, heights and colours for the three rooms people leave until last.
- How to photograph your dog (and get one worth framing)
Practical dog photography tips — get down low, use the right light, freeze movement, keep their attention, and how to tell if a phone photo will print well.
- Irish landscape photography: chasing light in a country with none
How to photograph the Irish landscape in bad light — golden hour, the twenty minutes after rain, blue hour, and which conditions actually print well.