Pet memorial gifts should carry the weight of the bond, not only fill a shelf. Most keepsakes you'll find online are either rushed and impersonal, or priced out of reach. We built Small Goodbyes as the middle ground, a considered memorial pet gift that arrives in days, not months, and feels like it was made by someone who cared.
A pet memorial gift at Christmas
For someone who lost a dog or cat this year, Christmas can be the first one without them. A card that uses the animal's name is a good start (what to write in a pet sympathy card has wording), and the portrait asks one thing of you: a photograph. We have written a short guide to the first Christmas without a dog that you can read before you decide what to send. The last order days for Christmas delivery are on our delivery page.
The portrait comes in five painted styles, from oil to pastel, and is printed only after you order it.
What makes a good pet memorial gift
The best pet memorial gifts are personalised to that specific animal, not generic, not interchangeable. They should last longer than a fortnight. They ask a little of the person giving: finding the right photograph, choosing a few words. That small effort is part of why they mean something. A meaningful gift in memory of a pet gives the household something to engage with every day, a portrait on the wall, not a card in a drawer.
Pet remembrance gifts also need to survive the silence that follows the first wave of condolences. That means a physical object the household can return to. The portrait holds the dog's or cat's face: that's the test a canvas portrait is designed to pass.
For a dog or a cat
We focus only on dogs and cats. That focus means the portraits are tuned for the two animals we know best. Dog memorials and cat memorials need slightly different registers: dog loss tends to change the household's daily structure; cat loss tends to be less visible but no less significant. Both deserve pet memorial gifts made with the same care.
The dog memorial gifts and cat memorial gifts pages go into the specifics for each.
Sending it to someone who is grieving
You can buy this in memory of a pet you didn't own yourself, for a parent, a sibling, a friend who has just lost their animal. If it is going straight to them, tick "This is a gift" in your basket and use their address at checkout. We leave out the receipt and the prices.
The order needs one thing: a photograph of their pet. Most people find that being asked for a photograph, in the days after a loss, is a welcome thing. It gives them something specific to do.
How it's made
The portrait comes from the photograph you upload, in whichever of the five styles you choose, so no order can exist that the customer has not already agreed to.
Who it's for
Most customers are in the first few months after losing their pet, or buying for someone who is. Some are ordering the portrait for a parent who has said goodbye to a long companion. Some are preparing ahead, knowing the moment is coming.
We don't use urgency timers, scarcity banners, or "only 3 left" messaging. You're not going to be hurried. The order stays with you until you're ready to place it.
Delivery
Every order is printed to order. It follows in 4 to 9 working days. UK delivery is included.
Related: dog memorial gifts, cat memorial gifts, canvas portrait on its own.