Readings for a pet funeral: original words you're free to use
A good reading for a pet funeral is short, fits your pet's personality, and is easy to say through tears. Below are original readings written for this page, free to read aloud, print or adapt, plus tips on choosing and delivering them.
By the Pet Funeral & Memorial Services editorial team · Updated September 24, 2026 · 4 min read · Sources
- Original pieces, free to read or print
- Words for dogs, cats, small pets and horses
- Faith-based and non-religious options
The short answer
What should you read at a pet funeral?
Choose something under a minute long that sounds like your pet: playful for a clown of a dog, quiet for a gentle old cat, spacious for a horse. It doesn't need to be a famous poem. A few plain lines, read slowly, often land harder than a long verse.
Everything below is original to this page. You're welcome to read it at a funeral, print it on a card, or change the names and details to fit. If you'd rather write your own words, our guide to writing a pet eulogy gives you a shape.
Would faith or cultural tradition shape your pet's goodbye?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
For a dog
What's a good reading for a dog's funeral?
You met every morning like it was the first one. You met every return like we'd been gone for years. Now it's our turn to wait by the door, and we'll wait the way you taught us: hopeful, patient, and glad for every moment we had.
This one suits a dog who lived for greetings. For a working or outdoor dog, try a line about the fields, the trail or the truck. Swap in real details: the name of the park, the sound of the tags, the sock that went missing every week.
Go on ahead, good dog. Find the stick, find the stream, find the patch of sun. We'll be along.
For a cat
What words suit a cat's farewell?
You chose us, in your own time and on your own terms. You chose the warm laundry, the top of the bookshelf, the exact center of the newspaper. Thank you for choosing us too. The house is too big without you in it.
Cats often get a quieter kind of farewell, which suits them. A reading that nods to their independence tends to ring true. It's fine for it to make people smile.
For small pets
What can you read for a rabbit, bird or hamster?
You were small enough to hold in two hands, and you filled the whole room. Thank you for the rustling in the night, the quick bright eyes, the trust it took to sit still in our palms. Rest easy, little one.
Small pets are often a child's first real loss. For a child to read, keep it to three lines: the pet's name, one thing they did, and goodbye. Our article on including children in a pet farewell has more ideas for giving young readers a part.
For a bird: You sang before we woke and chattered while we worked. The morning is very quiet now. We'll listen for you in the trees.
For a horse
What reading suits a horse or farm animal?
You carried us further than we could ever have walked, and waited at the gate each evening as if we were the ones worth waiting for. The field will keep your shape a while. Go easy now, old friend; the fences are down.
Farewells for large animals often happen outdoors, at the paddock or stable. Readings with open space in them, like fields, gates, weather and light, tend to fit the setting. Our comparison of home and outdoor ceremonies covers the practical side.
With or without faith
Are there blessings for a pet funeral?
Many faiths have their own animal blessings, and your faith leader may be glad to suggest one or join the ceremony. Here are two original pieces, one written with a spiritual tone and one without, that can sit alongside any tradition.
A spiritual blessing: We give thanks for the life of this creature, for every ordinary day made gentler by their company. May they rest in peace, and may we carry forward the kindness they showed us.
A non-religious reflection: Nothing that was loved this well is ever wholly gone. It lives on in the habits we keep, the way we still glance at the door, and the tenderness we'll show the next creature who needs us.
Other cultures have long traditions here. Japan has a developed pet funeral culture, and about 30%[1] of Japanese owners in one 2023 survey believed holding a funeral would help them avoid regret. Borrowing a practice, such as a moment of silence or an offering of incense, is welcome at any farewell.
Choosing and delivering
How do you choose and read a piece without breaking down?
- Read it aloud at home first, twice. The first read is usually the hardest.
- Print it large, at least 16-point type, so you don't lose your place.
- Give a copy to a backup reader who can step in if your voice goes.
- Pause after the reading. Let a few seconds of silence sit before moving on.
- Keep it to one or two pieces. More can make the ceremony drift.
The emotion is expected. In the RSPCA's pet-loss survey, 66.9%[2] of bereaved owners were surprised by how intense their grief was, and 57.1%[3] felt they had to hide it. A reading is one moment where nobody needs to, and Harvard Health's summary of recent research explains why grief for a pet can run as deep as grief for a person. The farewell planner lets you choose a reading as part of the plan and prints it into your checklist.
Free tool
Farewell & memorial service planner
Build a simple goodbye: who, where, readings, rituals and a checklist.
Keeping the words
Where else can you use a reading?
A line from a reading often becomes an epitaph. Keep it short if it's going on stone: one engraving guide says engravers commonly charge $50 to $150 per line[4]. By our estimate, a typical $50 engraving costs about half the price[5] of a standard wooden pet urn, so a short line saves real money. The memorial stone planner checks your words fit the stone you have in mind.
Readings also work well at a later memorial service, printed on the back of a photo card for guests, or tucked into the urn box. Most owners see their pets as family, 99.3%[6] in the RSPCA's survey, and families keep the words said at a farewell.
For the full plan around the reading, see the pet funeral checklist. If you'd like help with cremation, burial or a venue, tell us about your pet.
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.
Would faith or cultural tradition shape your pet's goodbye?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Which ritual would you most want at a pet's farewell?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What personal touch matters most on a memorial?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Questions people ask
Can I use a famous poem at my pet's funeral?
Reading a poem aloud at a private family funeral is generally fine. Printing it in a program, posting it online or engraving it on a stone may need permission if it's still in copyright. Many popular pet-loss poems have unclear authorship. Original words or older public-domain verse avoid the question.
How long should a reading at a pet funeral be?
Under a minute is ideal, which is roughly 80 to 150 words. Shorter readings are easier to deliver through tears and keep the ceremony moving. If you have two readings, make one noticeably shorter, and place them either side of the eulogy or memories.
Who should do the reading at a pet funeral?
Anyone who wants to and can speak clearly: a family member, a friend, an older child. It's often easier for someone other than the person grieving most. If a child wants to read, choose something very short and let an adult stand beside them.
Is it appropriate to include a prayer at a pet funeral?
Yes, if it reflects your family's beliefs. Many faith traditions have prayers or blessings suitable for animals, and some clergy will attend a pet funeral. If guests hold different beliefs, a short optional moment of silence lets everyone take part in their own way.
Can I change the words of these readings?
Yes. Everything on this page was written for you to use and adapt freely. Change the name, add your pet's real habits, drop lines that don't fit. The more your pet's details are in it, the more it will sound like a goodbye to them in particular.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] A 2023 Suncelmo survey of 391 Japanese pet owners found about 30% believed holding a funeral would help them avoid regret. The Japan News via Asia News Network - As pets become more like family, more owners in Japan are opting for elaborate funerals (Apr 2025), 2023.
- [2] 66.9% of respondents were surprised by how intense their grief was after losing a pet. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
- [3] 57.1% felt they had to hide their grief after a pet died, and 57.8% perceive stigma around pet loss. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
- [4] Some engravers charge a flat $50–$150 per line of text, depending on stone and provider. Memorials.com – Headstone Engraving Cost, 2026.
- [5] At a $50 average, engraving is about half the price of a typical $98 wooden pet urn from a crematory catalog. Our estimate: $50 (average engraving) / $98 (Final Gift typical wood urn). How we calculate.
- [6] In the RSPCA's pet-loss survey (over 4,000 respondents), 99.3% saw their pet as family, a friend or a companion. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
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