You open the decoration box and the first thing on top is the ornament with their name on it. Or there isn't one, and that feels worse.
A pet memorial ornament gives them a spot on the tree, one you can visit every time you walk past, without having to explain anything to anyone. Below are 12 pet memorial ornament ideas for a dog or a cat: some you can make tonight from things they left behind, some you'd buy, and a few words on what to write on them.
DIY pet memorial ornament ideas from their things
1. Their tag on a ribbon
Take the ID tag off their collar and tie it to a branch with a short piece of red ribbon. It's the exact tag they wore, it catches the tree lights, and it costs nothing. If you'd rather keep the tag on your keys the rest of the year, it can come off again on January 2nd.
2. A clear ornament filled with their fur
Craft stores sell clear plastic or glass ball ornaments with a removable top. Drop in a small tuft of fur from their brush (or the bed you haven't washed yet), add a slip of paper with their name, and close it. Cats who left fur on every black sweater you own finally get credit for it.
3. A salt dough paw print
If you didn't get a print at the vet, you may have one anyway: a photo of their paw, traced and cut from salt dough (two cups flour, one cup salt, about three-quarters of a cup of water, baked low until hard). If you did get a clay print, it can hang as it is with a hole drilled near the top. One of our customers told us the print she got back from the crematorium was a letdown, so if yours is, a homemade one traced from a clear photo is a fine replacement.
4. A piece of their collar, rolled into a ring
Cut a short section of their collar, curl it into a loop, and tie it on with string. Leather and nylon both work. It looks like nothing to a guest and like everything to you.
5. A toy, retired to the tree
The squeaky hedgehog with one eye left. The crinkle mouse the cat hid under the fridge. Tie it to a branch near the bottom, where they'd have gone looking for it.
Ornaments with their face
6. A photo in a clear frame ornament
The simplest photo ornament is a small frame or a flat clear disc with your favorite picture behind it. Pick the photo carefully, though. A picture of just their face reads from across the room; a wide shot of them on the couch doesn't.
7. A photo hidden inside a crystal
Some ornaments seal a tiny photo inside a small crystal. From across the room you see the ornament. Hold it close to your eye, or shine a light through the back in a dark room, and their face appears. It's a good choice if a big photo on the tree would be too much this year and you want them there without everyone seeing them first.
8. A portrait ornament from an artist
Illustrators on Etsy and local craft fairs paint pet portraits on wood slices and ceramic discs. These take time, often a few weeks, and many artists close Christmas orders in November. Ask before you pay.
Ornaments with words
9. Their name and years, and nothing else
"Biscuit, 2014 to 2026." Short and plain tends to age better than a long phrase. If you're stuck on wording, our list of what to engrave on a pet memorial piece works just as well for ornaments.
10. The nickname nobody else used
Every pet has a name on the paperwork and a name you actually called them. "Mr. Biscuits." "The Goblin." "Sweet Pea." The real one belongs on the tree.
11. A line from the family
Have each person write one memory on a paper tag and hang them together on the same branch. Kids are often better at this than adults. It gives them something to do, which helps more than something to hear.
Ornaments for other people
12. One for whoever loved them too
Your pet probably had more than one person: the neighbor who walked them, the grown kid who moved out, the dog sitter. An ornament with their name is a small, easy thing to give, and it tells someone you remember their part. For more gift ideas, see our guide to gifts for someone who lost a pet.
It doesn't have to be a dog, either. One customer had a coworker's horse engraved as a Christmas gift. If it had a face and a name, it can have an ornament.
Where to hang it
Lower than you'd think. A dog's ornament makes most sense at nose height, where they used to inspect the presents. A cat's can go wherever they climbed to, which, if they were that kind of cat, is the top.
Some families put it on last, after everything else, as a small moment on decorating day. Others hang it first. Either is fine. So is putting it in a different room this year if the tree is too much.
Order early if you're buying one
Anything personalized is made to order. We've had customers order on December 6th and 9th and spend Christmas week refreshing the tracking page. If you want it on the tree, order in November, or check the maker's Christmas cut-off date before you pay. Ours is December 13.
If the first Christmas without them is coming up, our guide to getting through the first Christmas without your dog covers the rest of the day: the stocking, the walk, and what to tell the kids.
If you'd like one with their photo inside, we make a silver paw print ornament with your pet's picture sealed in a tiny crystal and their name and years on the front. A real person checks every photo before it goes in.
Written by Jenna Morales, who answers customer emails and writes our pet loss guides at Designed Gifts. Her senior beagle mix, Pepper, still noses the ornaments off the bottom branch every December.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you put on a pet memorial ornament?
Their name, their years, and if you want, a nickname or a few words only your family would understand. Short works better than long on something this small.
Can I make a memorial ornament with my pet's fur?
Yes. A clear fillable ball ornament from a craft store, a small tuft of fur, and a paper slip with their name is all it takes.
What's a good memorial ornament for a cat?
All of the ideas above work for cats. Their collar bell on a ribbon makes a lovely one, and it still rings.
Is an ornament a good gift for someone who lost a pet?
It's one of the easiest. It's small, it's seasonal, and they can hang it without having to talk about it. Give it in November so it's ready for decorating day.
When should I order a personalized pet ornament for Christmas?
In November if you can. Check the seller's cut-off date; ours is December 13 for Christmas delivery.
