The pet funeral checklist: everything in one place
Work through four short lists: the first calls, the things to gather, the roles to hand out and the running order. Add a backup for weather and timing, and you're ready. Most of it can be done in an afternoon.
By the Pet Funeral & Memorial Services editorial team · Updated September 24, 2026 · 4 min read · Sources
- Tick-off lists for each stage
- A running order that takes about 20 minutes
- What to do if the plan changes on the day
The short answer
What goes on a pet funeral checklist?
Four things: the calls that set the timing, the items you'll want on the day, the people doing each job, and the order things happen in. Everything else is optional. Tick through the lists below in order, and hand the ones you can't face to someone else.
If you'd prefer a checklist built from your own answers, the farewell planner asks who, where, which rituals and what music, then prints a plan. For a fuller explanation of each decision, see the pet funeral planning guide.
Free tool
Farewell & memorial service planner
Build a simple goodbye: who, where, readings, rituals and a checklist.
List one
Which calls should you make first?
- ☐ Decide cremation or burial. This sets everything else. The aftercare options comparison helps if you're unsure.
- ☐ Call the crematory or cemetery. Book the collection time or burial slot, and ask about a viewing room or witnessed cremation if you want one.
- ☐ If your pet is at the vet, ask how long they can hold them. Most owners want it short: the single most common preference in one published US study was under 24 hours[1].
- ☐ Ask for a written total. Include pickup, urn, paw prints and any weekend or rush fee. One pricing guide says rush cremation often adds $50 to $150[2].
- ☐ Tell the key people. One short message with time, place and tone.
If you're timing the ceremony around the cremation, our article on coordinating a ceremony with ash return explains the usual windows.
List two
What should you gather before the ceremony?
- ☐ Your pet's bed or a favorite blanket, plus a towel underneath
- ☐ Collar, tag or harness, if you'd like to keep it
- ☐ Ink pad or clay for a paw print, taken before collection
- ☐ Scissors and an envelope for a fur clipping
- ☐ A candle in a jar, and matches
- ☐ Flowers or petals from the garden
- ☐ Printed words: eulogy, reading or prayer
- ☐ Any item to go with your pet: letter, drawing, cotton toy
- ☐ Tissues, water, and chairs for anyone who can't stand long
- ☐ A phone on silent for photos, if wanted
Paw prints are easy to forget and impossible to take later. If you'd rather the crematory do it, ask when you book: by our estimate, paw-print add-ons at US crematories have a median price of about $32[3], and one network charges $49 to $133[4] for ink, clay or framed versions.
List three
Who does what on the day?
Write a name next to each job. One person can do two, but the person grieving most shouldn't be doing more than one.
| Job | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Leads the ceremony | ________ | Welcomes, keeps time, closes |
| Speaks the eulogy | ________ | Has a printed copy and a backup reader |
| Handles the provider | ________ | Meets the driver or cemetery staff, handles paperwork |
| Looks after children | ________ | Can step away with them if needed |
| Runs any video call | ________ | Tests sound beforehand |
If someone's nervous about the eulogy, our guide to writing a pet eulogy gives a three-part shape, and our article about the people attending has more ideas for guest roles.
List four
What running order should you follow?
- Settle (2 min). Everyone gathers around your pet. Phones off.
- Welcome (1 min). The leader says the pet's name and why you're here.
- Eulogy (2 to 3 min). The pet's story, in one voice.
- Memories (5 to 8 min). Anyone who wants to adds one thing.
- Reading or song (2 min). Something that suits your pet.
- Ritual (3 min). Candle, petals, a letter tucked in, soil added.
- Last goodbye (2 min). A final touch, then burial or the handover.
That's about twenty minutes. If you need a reading, we've written some original readings for a pet funeral.
Which ritual would you most want at a pet's farewell?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
When things change
What's your backup plan if something goes wrong?
Things rarely go exactly to plan, and that's fine. A few quick decisions now make the day calmer:
- Weather: name an indoor alternative in the invitation.
- Driver early: ask them to wait ten minutes, or agree in advance that the leader will move to the last goodbye.
- Driver late: have tea ready and let people talk; it often becomes the warmest part of the day.
- Speaker can't continue: the backup reader takes the printed copy and carries on.
- A child gets upset: the named adult takes them out. They can come back or not.
- Heat: keep your pet in the coolest room until the last moment, and shorten the outdoor part.
If you're burying
What extra items do you need for a burial?
- ☐ Confirm local rules on home burial, or book the cemetery slot
- ☐ Grave dug before guests arrive, with the soil on a tarp
- ☐ A natural-fiber shroud or simple wooden box
- ☐ Two people ready to lower a larger pet
- ☐ A small trowel so each guest can add soil
- ☐ A temporary marker until a stone is ready
Cemetery prices vary widely, and weekend slots can carry a surcharge. Our breakdown of pet cemetery burial costs lists real price lists.
The days after
What's left to do after the ceremony?
- ☐ Note the expected ash return date. Private cremations often come back within a week or two[5].
- ☐ Decide on an urn, or keep the one provided for now.
- ☐ Send a short thanks to helpers.
- ☐ Put the collar and paw print somewhere safe.
- ☐ Think about a later memorial or celebration of life.
- ☐ Check in with yourself in a week.
Grief often starts before the loss and continues well after the ceremony. In the RSPCA's pet-loss survey, 75.4%[6] of owners felt grief in anticipation of their pet's death. The grief check-in is a private place to take stock, and we're here if you'd like local aftercare options.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
Which ritual would you most want at a pet's farewell?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What kind of goodbye feels right for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What surprised you most about the cost of pet aftercare?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Free tools to help you plan
Farewell & memorial service planner
Build a simple goodbye: who, where, readings, rituals and a checklist.
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Pet loss grief check-in
A private, two-minute check-in on how you're coping, with ideas that match where you are.
Questions people ask
How far ahead should I plan a pet funeral?
If your pet has died, you can plan a simple farewell in a few hours. If your pet is elderly or ill, planning a week or two ahead gives you time to book a home euthanasia visit, choose a provider and let people know, without scrambling on the day itself.
What if I forget to take a paw print before cremation?
Ask the crematory straight away; many can take an ink or clay print before cremation if you call quickly enough. Once cremation has happened, it's no longer possible, but a photo of your pet's paws, a fur clipping taken earlier or a nose-print pendant from a photo can still work.
Should I write the checklist down or keep it in my head?
Write it down. Grief affects memory and concentration; in the RSPCA's survey, 69.8%[7] of bereaved owners had trouble concentrating. A single sheet or index card with the running order, names and phone numbers takes the load off and lets you be present.
Can I send items with my pet to be cremated?
Usually small, natural items are fine: a cotton blanket, a paper letter, a child's drawing. Plastic, rubber, metal and anything with batteries is normally removed. If you want an item back, such as the collar, take it off before collection and tell the provider clearly.
What should the provider confirm before the ceremony?
The collection time or burial slot, the name of who's coming, the total price with every add-on, the type of cremation (private or communal) and when and how the ashes will be returned. Ask for it by email so you don't need to remember it on the day.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] The most common owner preference (26.1%) was for a deceased pet to stay at the vet hospital less than 24 hours before transport to the crematory or cemetery; a further 18.1% said no more than 1-2 days. Cooney, Kogan, Brooks, Ellis - Pet Owners' Expectations for Pet End-of-Life Support and After-Death Body Care, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine (2020), 2020.
- [2] Rush 24-hour pet cremation typically adds $50–$150; standard turnaround is about 7 days. Memorials.com – Pet Cremation Cost Guide 2026, 2026.
- [3] Paw-print add-ons at US crematories have a median price of about $32, from $10 to $76. Our estimate: median of [$10 clay (AGP), $15 laser engraving (AGP), $49 ink (Final Gift), $76 clay (Final Gift)]. How we calculate.
- [4] Final Gift charges $49 for ink paw prints, $76 for a clay or silver-clay paw print, $111 framed, and $133 framed with a fur clipping; a fur clipping alone costs $23. Final Gift Pet Memorial Center – Memorial Products, 2026.
- [5] CareCredit says basic pet urns start at around $50, and private cremation ashes usually come back within a week or two. CareCredit – How Much Does Pet Cremation Cost?, 2023.
- [6] 75.4% of RSPCA pet-loss survey respondents experienced anticipatory grief before their pet died. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
- [7] After losing a pet, 72.6% lost their daily routine or sense of purpose, 69.8% had trouble concentrating and 65.9% had sleep problems. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
Need help with the aftercare part?
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.