Hi all. I recently lost my cat Mukluk. I was lucky in that I knew her time was coming and was able to mentally prepare (to some extent) for losing her. So here is my advice to all of you who love your pets. In most cases we out live our animals. Sometimes we know they are not long for this world. Other times they are healthy and happy one minute and the next they are gone. It helped me to have some tokens of remembrance for my girl. You may want to take a paw print of your pet using non-toxic ink- I did this for Mukluk and I am so glad I did. I also had a lot of pictures of Mukluk but not very many of the two of us together. Be sure you have some pictures of the both of you. Mukluk had the cutest whiskers, black at the base, and white at the tip. I clipped two whiskers (after she died) and put them in a frame with her paw print. I planted a rose bush over her grave and lots of other flowers- the grave site is a sunny spot in the yard where she used to like to loll in the sun. So just my thoughts. Hope this is helpful and maybe others can add to the discussion?
When my vet has had to euthanize a dog or cat for me they’ve saved a paw-print cast in some clay/plaster type material with the pet’s name on it. A week or so after my pet died I’d get a package in the mail from my vet with a nice card. I’ve put the pawprint casting in a shadow box with picture of the pet and a brass pet tag with the pet’s name and dates on it. It makes for a very nice memorial.
My Weezer died at an emergency clinic, and I could not leave her there:cry:, so we brought her home. I asked DH to dig a grave for her, but I could not put her into it (sudden accidental death-she’d been swimming an hour before:cry:
), so I eventually consented to put her in the deep freeze :no::no: to bring to my vet on Monday. We also made a pawprint cast and decorated it w/seaglass and little objects that she loved, and a second cast of her nose, one of my favorite parts of her-a little black gumdrop. My vet sent a memorial stone a few wks later, and I had a portrait made of a favorite photo, via Photofiddle, which hangs over the mantle, along w/the little box of her ashes.
Photofiddle is wonderful! The portrait is 30" square and you can apply different effects to your photo, and choose size and shape. It looks like an artist’s stretched canvas, and was less than $150. It came very fast, also.
I must admit that I haven’t looked at the casts since we made them 10 mos. ago—too painful. But I adore the portrait and say “goodnight. I miss you and love you” every night. It looks like a work of art and its my baby girl in all her sweet glory.
I think the link is www.photofiddle.com Its easy, reasonable, and kinda fun.
I found an angel kitty statue at a flea market that was already painted orange and white tabby like my cat who had passed away. The statue had wings and the kitty was standing with head up to the sky, a smile on its face. It was perfect.
http://www.amazon.com/Winged-Angel-Statue-Figurine-Cherub/dp/B002ZO94CE
It’s not the same, but there are a lot of statues I think would look beautiful in the home are garden to remind us of their presence.
I know there are some who consider them weird, but I want to get a cognac coloured Cremation Diamond to memorialize my first horse who I had to put down 2.5 mos ago. He was a bay and the colour reminds me of his muzzle, which I used to kiss and smell all the time.
LBR
[QUOTE=ladybugred;5610381]
I know there are some who consider them weird, but I want to get a cognac coloured Cremation Diamond to memorialize my first horse who I had to put down 2.5 mos ago. He was a bay and the colour reminds me of his muzzle, which I used to kiss and smell all the time.
LBR[/QUOTE]
Oh, awesome! I have been waiting to ask someone about this.
Forgive the question but how big a rock can you make from a 1,000#-er? That’s how it works, right? The horse is cremated and then his ashes made into a diamond?
I have an aging horse who I adore. Friends and I have made all kinds of bad jokes about how to memorialize him in a big way.
The suggestions have ranged from taxidermy so big you’d have to throw out your entertainment center, to “attractive bed spread,” to Huge Diamond that a pimp with Victorian inclinations would wear.
My vets, in on the joke and love for this phat horse, didn’t know how much carbon was in him. We are stumped and would be grateful for any information you could give.
The “rocks” only go up to 2 carats! That’s only for coloured too.
I just cremated my TB, his cremains fill a 5gal bucket(and weigh 60ish#!), I think you only need a few pounds for the diamonds.
It is pricey tho, starts around $3k for 1/4 carat, goes up to $13+k for the 2carat “pimp rock”
If you click on “Cremation Diamond” in my prev pppost, it will take you to the website of a co that does them. There are quite a few, try googling “cremation diamonds”
LBR
PS - The websites will give you the specs for how much, etc
I have a cremation diamond that was made by DNA2Diamonds.com My 14 y/o Dalmatian passed away a year and a half ago and it was always my plan to have a diamond made from her ashes.
They need 1 cup of ashes for any sized diamond. You can use hair as well. Hair contains more carbon, so they need 3/4 a cup.
I was very happy with DNA2Diamonds. They were alot cheaper than LifeGem and alot quicker too. LifeGem’s waiting list is 9 months, DNA2Diamonds is 70 days. Mine took over 70 days and they gave me a great deal on a custom ring setting. The CEO called me himself to tell me that my ring would be late. They use a jeweler in NYC and he did an AMAZING job on my setting. I designed it myself and he made it exactly how I wanted.
ETA: when I purchased my diamond, there was a special going on for certain colors. I think it was 20% off. So, ask if/when they are having specials and for what colors.
Here is my cremation diamond:
PP- your ring is BEAUTIFUL!!!
MVP- Also keep in mind that it cost me $1/lb to cremate my TB, that included pick up, and was the going rate around BMore. It’s not like you can weigh them either, so you have to take the crematories word on weight.
LBR
[QUOTE=ladybugred;5611805]
PP- your ring is BEAUTIFUL!!!
MVP- Also keep in mind that it cost me $1/lb to cremate my TB, that included pick up, and was the going rate around BMore. It’s not like you can weigh them either, so you have to take the crematories word on weight.
LBR[/QUOTE]
That’s “before” not “after” weight, I take it.
And it only takes a cup of him for a diamond… but I’ll have 60#… and that’s more than $3K?
I’d like all of my horse stuffed into the rock, as I love all of him.
Maybe I’ll have a someone make me a nice bay sofa instead.
You could send them all of it (hate to think of shipping;) ), for all the stones, you’d be out $100s of thousands.
Think of the cup or so, as the"Essence" of Horsie.
LBR
Thanks! It was a long process deciding color, size, shape, setting, etc. I love the way it turned out.
I still had plenty of ashes left from a 60lb dog. I wanted to keep them for an urn.
[QUOTE=PiaffePlease;5611798]
I have a cremation diamond that was made by DNA2Diamonds.com My 14 y/o Dalmatian passed away a year and a half ago and it was always my plan to have a diamond made from her ashes.
They need 1 cup of ashes for any sized diamond. You can use hair as well. Hair contains more carbon, so they need 3/4 a cup.
I was very happy with DNA2Diamonds. They were alot cheaper than LifeGem and alot quicker too. LifeGem’s waiting list is 9 months, DNA2Diamonds is 70 days. Mine took over 70 days and they gave me a great deal on a custom ring setting. The CEO called me himself to tell me that my ring would be late. They use a jeweler in NYC and he did an AMAZING job on my setting. I designed it myself and he made it exactly how I wanted.
ETA: when I purchased my diamond, there was a special going on for certain colors. I think it was 20% off. So, ask if/when they are having specials and for what colors.
Here is my cremation diamond:
I plan to do this as well, and the company your recommend seems much better than one I’d been directed to before. Your ring turned out beautifully.
[QUOTE=asb_own_me;5613636]
I plan to do this as well, and the company your recommend seems much better than one I’d been directed to before. Your ring turned out beautifully.[/QUOTE]
thanks! When it was mailed to me I received the gemological institute of america certification as well as a log of where my ashes/diamond was at all times in the process, who was handling it, etc. This reassures the customers that the diamond made is truly from your pets ashes and doesnt get mixed up with another.
I do believe that they can work with you if you dont have a full cup of ashes. Im assuming this depends on the size of diamond you want. Before I committed (paid) to have anything done, I was set up with a representative that answered every question I had and she followed me throughout the whole process.
I also had an urn made using my dog’s hair. Its just like horsehair pottery but with dog hair. It turned out beautifully! Oh, and I also made a shutterfly photo book of my dog. I guess you can say she was well loved, haha.
memory stones
There is an artist here in North Texas that does the most beautiful animal portraits- water pencil portraits, painted ornaments and most recently, memory stones. The stones are very reasonably priced, and she is an absolutely amazing artist! Her portraits really bring the animals to life. :yes:You may want to look her up on facebook. Her name is Julie Lawther.
www.equineartbyjulie.com
I make custom applique felt pillows as remembrances. The pet is appliqued on among vines and flowers and always with a pair of wings…I have done dogs, cats, horses and yes even a gerbil!
When my mother had to put her Brittany to sleep last summer, my son and I went to an art supply store and got one of those kits for making cement stepping stones. Put the dog’s paw print in it and my son decorated it with colored stones and brass letters spelling his name. It’s out in my mother’s garden now and she loves it. Wish we’d thought of this earlier, there could be a pet rememberance garden with stones for her other dogs and cats she’s lost over the last 50 years! She has a 20 year old cat right now, we’ll make one for her anyway.
We got my mom watercolor portraits of her deceased dogs.
This woman does an AMAZING job and for a very reasonable price. I’d highly recommend her:
Michele Soderstrom
horsepainter.com
This was our first golden that died from old age in my mother’s arms:
http://horsepainter.com/pages/paintings/Dog.html
And this was our 5 yr. old golden that was hit by a car just about two years ago. This dog was my mom’s heart and she took her death VERY hard.
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/29161_10150170567065527_660905526_12405230_866038_n.jpg
ETA, she just did one of my sister’s (living) golden for Christmas and it’s definitely the best of the three…but I don’t have a picture of it. Darn!
For my “heart dog” I have a lovely, large painting that was done and also a friend who ties flies (like for fly fishing) did a fly w/ some of the dog’s hair; its very cool.
I currently have an aging horse and when his time comes, I’m going to the following site, which someone posted here on COTH a while back:
This is something a little different but NCSU’s College of Vet Med just finished a huge new Companion Animal Center on their campus. For a certain donation amount, you can have a message engraved on one of the bricks that leads into the main entrance. You can specify that your donation goes towards a number of different funds - one of which being a fund that provides financial assistance to pet owners who may not be able to afford the lifesaving treatments or procedures offered to them at the CVM. I can think of no better way to honor the memory of my beloved pet than to know that I may have helped another dog owner gain a bit more time with their beloved pet. :yes:
I haven’t done this yet - but we lost our 11yr old brown dog in July and my brother lost his 14yr old brown dog in October - and I plan to send a donation to this fund and have a brick placed in their memory :sadsmile:
