How to write a eulogy for your pet
A good pet eulogy is short, specific and true: say who your pet was, tell one story only you could tell, and name what they gave you. Aim for 200 to 400 words, which takes about two minutes to read aloud.
By the Pet Funeral & Memorial Services editorial team · Updated September 24, 2026 · 5 min read · Sources
- A three-part shape that fits on one card
- Prompts to unlock the details you'll want to say
- Help for when you can't get the words out
The short answer
What should a pet eulogy include?
Three things are enough. First, who your pet was: their name, how they came to you, and the one word everyone would use to describe them. Second, a single story, told with small details. Third, what your life was like because they were in it, and what you'll carry forward.
That's it. You don't need to cover their whole life, list every trick or explain their illness. The people listening already love your pet or love you. They want to hear your pet come alive for a minute or two, and they want permission to cry and laugh at the same time.
The eulogy is usually the center of a farewell, so it helps to know where it sits in the running order. Our pet funeral planning guide covers the rest of the day.
Before you write
How do you find the details worth saying?
Don't start with a blank page. Start with a list. Spend ten minutes jotting answers to these prompts, in any order, without full sentences:
- What sound did they make that nobody else's pet made?
- Where in the house could you always find them at 3 p.m.?
- What did they do the moment you came home?
- What were they afraid of, and what were they absurdly brave about?
- What rule did they break every single day?
- Who did they choose, if they chose one person?
- What will you still do out of habit, even though they're gone?
Ask the rest of the household the same questions. Children often remember details adults have stopped noticing: the exact way the rabbit thumped, the cat that sat in the laundry basket. Those details are the eulogy.
The shape
How should you structure a pet eulogy?
| Part | What it does | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Who they were | Name, arrival, one defining trait | 2 to 4 sentences |
| 2. One story | A specific moment, told with sights and sounds | 5 to 10 sentences |
| 3. What they gave you | The difference they made, and a goodbye | 3 to 5 sentences |
The story does the heavy lifting. Pick one that shows character rather than one that sums up their whole life. The time the terrier stole a whole baguette from a picnic says more than "he was loyal and loved food". Funny stories are welcome. Laughter at a funeral is a relief, not a disrespect.
End by speaking to your pet directly if that feels right, or to the people listening. A last line in the second person ("You were a very good dog") lands hard in the best way.
An example
What does a finished pet eulogy sound like?
Here's an original example, written for this guide about an invented cat, so you can see the three parts working. Borrow the structure, not the words.
Pickle came to us in a shoebox from a parking lot, the size of a teacup and furious about it. For fourteen years she was the smallest and loudest member of this family.
The eulogy would go on to the story: the winter she learned to open the kitchen drawer and was found asleep among the tea towels, purring as if she'd paid rent. Then the closing part: that she taught a family of worriers to sit still in the sun, that the drawer will stay unlatched for a while, and a simple "Goodnight, Pickle."
Notice what's missing. There's no medical history, no list of adjectives, no general statement about pets being family. The details do that work for you. If you're looking for a short reading to pair with the eulogy, we've written original readings for a pet funeral you can use freely.
On the day
What if you can't get through it out loud?
Plan for it. Print the eulogy in large type, double-spaced, and give a copy to someone standing near you. If your voice goes, pause, breathe, and let them take over mid-sentence. Nobody will mind. It's also completely fine to ask someone else to read it from the start while you stand beside them.
The emotion isn't a sign you're doing it wrong. In a UK study published in PLOS ONE of adults who had lost both a pet and a person, 21.0%[1] named the pet's death as their most distressing bereavement. By our estimate, that's about 7 in every 100[2] UK adults for whom a pet's death hit harder than any human loss. Research on grief also finds that closeness to the one who died is the strongest predictor of how much it hurts, whatever the species[3]. If even writing feels like too much right now, Tufts University's Pet Loss Support Helpline is free to call.
Which ritual would you most want at a pet's farewell?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Beyond the funeral
Where else can you use the words you wrote?
A eulogy often ends up in more places than the ceremony. Families read it again at a memorial service, post it with a photo for friends far away, or tuck a copy into the urn box. Some print it on the back of a small photo card to give guests.
One line from it may also become the epitaph on a stone. Keep that line short: one engraving guide says engravers often charge $8 to $35 per character[4], or a flat $50 to $150 per line[5]. The memorial stone planner checks whether your wording fits the stone you have in mind.
Free tool
Memorial stone planner
Plan size, material and engraving length so your wording fits the stone.
Different pets
How do you write a eulogy for a small or unusual pet?
The same shape works for a hamster, a parrot or a horse. For small pets with short lives, the story might be tiny: the way the budgie rang the bell every time the kettle boiled. For a horse, it might be a whole season of early mornings. Scale doesn't set the size of the grief, and it shouldn't shrink the eulogy. A Harris Poll found 95%[6] of US owners consider their pets family members.
For children writing about their first pet, three sentences is a full eulogy: what the pet was called, what they liked, and what the child will miss. Our article on including children in a pet farewell has more ideas for giving kids a part.
If you'd like help building the rest of the ceremony around your words, the farewell planner turns your choices into a simple order of service.
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.
Who would you want at your 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
How long should a pet eulogy be?
Between 200 and 400 words is a comfortable length, which takes about two minutes to read at a gentle pace. Shorter is fine, especially at a small home farewell. If several people want to speak, ask each to keep to a minute or two so the gathering stays manageable for everyone standing.
Is it okay to make people laugh in a pet eulogy?
Yes. Most pets were funny, and a eulogy that captures that feels truer than one that's solemn throughout. A funny story also gives listeners a moment of relief. Place it in the middle, then let the ending be quieter so people can settle before the burial or goodbye.
Should I mention how my pet died?
Only if you want to. Most eulogies don't mention illness or euthanasia at all, or do so in a single sentence. The people listening usually know already. Focusing on how your pet lived is kinder to you and gives guests the stories they'll remember.
Can I read a poem instead of writing a eulogy?
Absolutely. A short reading can stand in for a eulogy, or come just after it. Choose something that fits your pet's personality. If you're using a published poem in a printed program or online, check who holds the rights; original words or public-domain verse avoid that issue.
What should I say if I'm not a good writer?
Speak it instead. Record yourself telling a friend about your pet on your phone, then write down what you said. Spoken sentences are often warmer than written ones. Tidy the transcript lightly, keep your own phrases, and you'll have a eulogy that sounds like you.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] Among UK adults who had lost both a pet and a person, 21.0% named the pet's death as their most distressing bereavement. Hyland et al., 'No pets allowed: Evidence that prolonged grief disorder can occur following the death of a pet', PLOS ONE (2026), 2026.
- [2] About 7 in every 100 UK adults may have had a pet's death hit harder than any human loss. Our estimate: 32.6% have lost a pet x 21% chose pet as most distressing. How we calculate.
- [3] A Death Studies paper comparing pet and human loss found closeness to the deceased was overwhelmingly the strongest predictor of grief severity, whatever the species. Europe PMC abstract — Eckerd, Barnett & Jett-Dias, 'Grief following pet and human loss: Closeness is key', Death Studies (2016), doi:10.1080/07481187.2016.1139014, 2016.
- [4] Headstone engravers charge $8–$35 per character; a standard 40–60 character inscription totals $500–$1,200. Memorials.com – Headstone Engraving Cost, 2026.
- [5] Some engravers charge a flat $50–$150 per line of text, depending on stone and provider. Memorials.com – Headstone Engraving Cost, 2026.
- [6] A 2015 Harris Poll found 95% of U.S. pet owners consider pets family members, up 7 points since 2007. SHRM — Grieving a Pet's Death: Should Workers Get Time Off? (2016), 2015.
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