Pet Headstones

Now that the Internet is here, an online pet memorial is the next best option in terms of keeping the memory of a pet alive forever. There are many advantages to online pet memorials that conventional memorials such as headstones or markers do not possess. The online memorials are designed to create a virtual community of family and friends for the pet, and there is always so much more space to include all the important information about the life of the pet instead of just a verse of poetry and the dates of birth and death.

Web portals can be dedicated to a single pet or one can simply post the photograph and the information about the pet to any of the web sites that specialize in creating such memorials. Online memorials allow family and friends, irrespective of their geographical location, to pay tribute to the pet and share anecdotes, stories, poems, and thoughts without the need for physical presence. Tributes can be of any length and stay posted on the site until the caretaker decides to remove them. An online memorial can also have a guest book that can be signed by those who visit the site and this may include even strangers who may never have known the pet but have been emotionally touched by the messages posted.

However, the biggest advantage of an online memorial is that any number of photographs of the pet can be posted here and kept open for display to anyone who visits the site. In terms of cost, online memorials are quickly gaining ground because many of them are entirely free and survive with donations only. This is quite unlike the cost one has to bear for making a plaque or a monument that also requires careful maintenance to prevent erosion and decay. Also, upgrading any information or pictorial content is so easy and hardly takes any time.

Pet Memorial Stones

When a larger motif for remembrance is required, a monument stone or a grave marker is the best choice. Monuments erected in the memory of the pet can either be in the garden where the ashes have been buried or else at the pet cemetery if there happens to be one. Here it is important to select the right kind of material to make sure that it will not erode or break with the passage of time. Granite is the most favored material but it should be hard enough to be durable. The etched or the engraved lettering on the stone is an additional significant aspect of the memorial and this should be entrusted to a professional designer who has a thorough knowledge of fonts.

The headstones are usually created from a sand blasting or sand carving process, and it is important to check that real stones are used and not fake resin or molded stone pieces that only look like the real thing. The topmost quality of stone is always the one sourced in the form of premium river rock. Varieties of stones include slate, polished granite, marble, bluestone, or sandstone, depending on the quarries from which they come.

While the quality of the stone relates to the durability of the marker, the other factors that come into play are the composition, color, texture, density, and shape of the material. Some stones have natural flaws in their structure that can actually help enhance the appeal of the final design. Tombstones or markers are made from a special material called Vashon Buff with Grog. Thanks to the grog, the wet clay does not shrink when it is fired and is much more durable. After firing, it turns reddish in color and a glaze could turn it to any color you want. The stone should handle weathering just fine in most climates, so long as it is not subjected to long periods of freezing