When Is Pet Remembrance Day 2024? Purpose & How to Celebrate
By Lorre Luther
Updated on
July 5th is Pet Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom. The event was created by Pets Magazine in 2015 to raise awareness of the importance of human-companion animal bonds and the deep grief that often follows the loss of a well-loved cat or dog. It’s a time for those who have lost companions to celebrate their pets’ lives and commemorate their lost buddies through memorial activities.
The event is primarily a UK event, and it only comes around once a year, but if the idea resonates with you, why not celebrate it when the time is right? You can honor the love you shared with your pet in a way that feels meaningful to you.
Companion Animals Are Family Members
For those who love animals, pets are considered family members valued for the unconditional love and support they provide, which is part of why their loss can be so difficult. People develop bonds with pets that resemble those formed with family members.
Pets provide people with love and support and offer humans opportunities to care for and love another living being. Some studies suggest that companion animals fill many of the same social needs as children and family members for some people.
Deep Grief Is Common After a Companion Animal’s Death
The grief caused by the death of a pet can be just as intense as that felt after a human loved one passes—it can even cause physiological changes. In the first 2 months after a pet’s death, owners often experience acute grief, and it usually takes about 1 year for the grieving process to run its course. The grief associated with a pet’s death can be particularly intense for individuals who live alone and those who don’t have children.
Grieving for a pet can be made difficult by the lack of rituals such as memorial services and funerals that provide safe places to express emotional pain and receive community support, and people often feel as if they’re expected to go on with their lives without a pause after a companion animal’s passing.
It’s common for employers to provide employees with time off after a human family member’s death, but the same rarely happens when pets die. People who don’t feel supported sometimes begin suppressing emotions related to the loss of their pet, which can prolong and even intensify the grieving process.
Top 4 Ways to Celebrate the Life of Your Companion
There’s no set of rules that need to be followed when it comes to celebrating the life of your pet. It’s all about coming up with something that’s meaningful to you to comfortably express your emotions.
1. Spend Time Somewhere Special to Your Companion
Consider taking a walk somewhere that your pet truly loved; just being outside in the sunshine and fresh air can do wonders for your emotions. Revisiting a spot your pet loved can allow you to honor your pet’s presence in your life in a place of peace and beauty they introduced you to!
2. Celebrate With a Few of Their Favorite Foods
Consider honoring your companion with a few of their favorite foods. It’s the perfect excuse to enjoy treats your buddy loved. Get creative! If your dog adores peanut butter, consider baking some peanut butter cookies to celebrate your pet’s life. A few bites of out-of-this-world cheese may be just the way to spend a few minutes remembering a cat who couldn’t seem to stop stealing expensive cheese from your plate.
3. Have a Story Telling Ceremony
Few pets make it through life without engaging in a few spectacular antics. Pet Remembrance Day provides the perfect opportunity to focus on a few of your pet’s adventures. Why not get together on June 5th to share stories about your pet with loved ones in your pet’s inner circle? It’s the perfect day for sharing tales about feline and canine mischief during holiday dinners.
4. Celebrate With Something Green
If you’re interested in planting a tree in your pet’s honor, there are many options. The National Trust in the United Kingdom and the United States Forest Service offer programs through which you can participate in reforestation initiatives by planting trees in honor of loved ones.
If you’d rather do something hands-on, consider planting something simple that you can care for and watch grow. Catnip actually flowers and can be grown relatively easily indoors or outside. You can also get creative and plant something that reflects your pet’s personality or go with something you find irresistibly gorgeous to nurture in your pet’s honor.
Conclusion
Pet Remembrance Day occurs on July 5th. It’s a day to celebrate and honor the love we’ve received from companion animals who’ve passed on. Pets are family members. They share moments of joy and give nothing but love. A pet’s death can be as difficult to deal with as the loss of family members. It often takes time to accept the loss and begin to feel comfortable with new daily routines, and there’s often little social support to help. Pet Remembrance Day allows us to honor cats, dogs, mice, guinea pigs, and horses who have passed and acknowledge their importance in our lives.
Featured Image Credit: umaruchan4678, Shutterstock
