“Grief is just love with no place to go.”
- American snowboarder Jamie Anderson
Archaeologists have traced back 12,000 years how long humans have been keeping animals not for food or farming, but for companionship. That’s how long we’ve had a heart big enough to hold a creature in it, to name them, bury them with honour, and send them off with prized objects in their graves. Ancient dogs were found buried in ceremonial pits, their collars intact, often laid beside their humans or under stones. Clearly, the grief we feel when a pet dies is not new.
According to the report Global Trends in the Pet Population published in 2022, more than half the world shares its home with a pet. In India, pet ownership has grown from 10 million to over 31 million in a decade. We expect to see more than 50 million pets by 2026. But here’s a heartbreak within the heartwarming: the Animal Welfare Board of India reports that only 10% of pets are adopted. The restare abandoned or surrendered. This staggering number makes Pet Memorial Day today not just a moment of remembrance, but also a day of compassion. Pet Memorial Day is observed on the second Tuesday of June every year.
How do we celebrate a love that never really dies? Here are 5 healing ways to observe Pet Memorial Day.
1. Create a Sacred Space at Home
Set up a small space, either a corner shelf, a table, or a spot in your balcony that holds their collar, their favourite toy, a photo, a lock of fur if you have it, or their dish with water. Decorate it with flowers or pebbles you gather on a walk you used to take together. Light a candle there on Pet Memorial Day. This way, you are building a memory temple. And every time you pass by it, you’ll feel a soft flicker of love.
2. Write Them a Letter
Sit down with a journal and pour your heart out to them. Tell them what’s changed. What hasn’t. What you miss. What made you laugh even today when you remembered them rolling in the mud or barking at the postman like he was Voldemort. You’ll be surprised at the flood of feeling this unleashes. With every word, you will feel them near you.
3. Adopt, Don’t Shop
Now this one isn’t for everyone, and not right away. Grief has its own schedule. But if the time feels ripe, consider adopting another animal... not to replace your beloved pet (no one can), but to continue the cycle of love they taught you. According to the Animal Welfare Board of India, the fact that 90% of pets are abandoned or surrendered is enough reason. If your heart feels bruised but still beating, you could rescue a soul who needs you. In doing so, you not only give them a home, you honour the one you lost. You’ll find that grief and joy are not mutually exclusive. They can and do co-exist.
4. Plant a Tree, Grow a Legacy
What if you could watch your love for your pet grow, leaf by leaf? Planting a tree in your pet’s memory is a life-affirming ritual. It becomes a living gravestone not of sorrow, but of celebration.
You could plant their favourite tree (mango, gulmohar, or neem) and watch it grow year after year. Some people bury their pet’s ashes at the base. Others tie a tag or wind chime to a branch. Every time it rains, or the wind whistles through the leaves, you might feel like they’re still with you.
5. Share Their Story Online
Our world, for better or worse, lives on social media. Why not let your pet live there too? Post a photo. Write a little memory. Create a reel with their silly moments. Or start a hashtag. You’ll be surprised at how many people join in. In fact, Pet Memorial Day has become a global online observance. The more we speak openly about grieving our pets, the more we validate that this loss matters. That mourning a dog or cat or parrot is no less real than any other kind of mourning. In telling your story, you might spark someone else to adopt, rescue, foster.
So this Pet Memorial Day, whether your loss is fresh or ancient, remember that you loved well and you are still someone’s person.
Sources:
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031183/india-pet-population/
- https://healthforanimals.org/reports/pet-care-report/global-trends-in-the-pet-population/
Read more:
- Are Our Dogs Feeling What We Feel? The Connection Between Human and Canine Stress
- Don’t Dismiss These Symptoms In Your Pets: What Every Responsible Pet Parent Should Know About Urgent Vet Visits | World Veterinary Day Special
- Is Your Pet Mentally Healthy? Here's How You Can Know If Your Doggy Or Kitty Needs Help
