What do you do with your pet's belongings?

The bed is still there. So is the food bowl. The lead hangs by the door, exactly where it always did.

After your pet dies, you come across their things everywhere. And each time, the same question comes up: do I put this away, or do I leave it?

There is no right order

Some people clear everything out within a day or two. It helps them keep going, to not have the absence underlined at every turn. Others leave the bed out for months. Not because they don't want to move forward, but because having something of his nearby offers a strange kind of comfort.

Both are normal. There is no correct timeline, no moment by which you "should have done it".

What people keep

Many people hold on to one or two things, even when the rest is gone. A toy. The collar. A photo placed where the bed used to be. Small anchors for the memory.

What you keep doesn't need to be explained to anyone. It's yours and theirs.

What people give away

Things still in good condition can go to an animal shelter, a rescue organisation, or someone in your life with a young pet. For some, that feels right: the things go to an animal who needs them now. For others, it's too soon, and that's fine too.

The space they leave behind

More than the things themselves, it's often the empty space that hits hardest. The corner where the bed was. The spot on the sofa. The chair by the window.

One way to give the memory a place without facing the empty corner every day: at TributeMap you can create a digital memorial for your pet, anchored to a place that meant something to both of you. Photos, stories, memories from others who knew them. Something that stays, even after the bed is eventually gone.

Take the time you need

No one gets to tell you when you're ready. You're ready when you're ready. And sometimes you take two steps forward and one step back, and that's part of it too.

Johan
TributeMap