After the visit, what we leave you with.
Physical keepsakes matter in grief. A clay paw print, set on a shelf or kept in a drawer, becomes one of the small ordinary objects that carries the weight of a long memory. We take the time during every euthanasia visit to make them carefully — the paw print is pressed gently, while the animal is asleep, and dries in 24 hours.
What follows is what we include with every visit, and what we can arrange afterward through Portland artists we have worked with for years.
What we make in the moment.
Pressed into a small disc of air-dry clay during the visit, after sedation. We can letter the animal's name and dates on the disc in fine ink if the family wants, or leave it blank for you to do at home. The clay dries within 24 hours and is the size of a small coaster — fits a shelf, a desk, a windowsill.
A small clipping taken before the second injection, sealed in a small velvet pouch (deep navy) with a paper tag bearing the animal's name. Many families add the pouch to a memorial shelf; some hold the clipping back for later use in a glass keepsake (see below).
If the family wants, we can take a single quiet photograph of the family with their animal in the moments before. Many families decline. Some are grateful. There is no pressure either way; we ask once, gently, near the end of the first conversation.
Made for you, by Portland artists.
Handmade by a local Portland glassblower in inner SE. Roughly four inches across. A clipping of fur is suspended inside the orb at the moment the glass is shaped. Takes three to four weeks. We coordinate the handoff of the fur clipping and the delivery of the finished piece.
Handmade by a local Portland woodworker in NE. Walnut, maple, or cherry; size depends on the cremated remains. Engraved nameplate with the animal's name and dates. Takes two to three weeks.
Wildflower seeds embedded in handmade cotton paper. We carry these and can give you a pack at the visit. Many families send them to extended family who couldn't be present, with a handwritten note; the cards can be planted, and the wildflowers come up the next spring.
Painted from a photograph you provide, by a Portland artist we've worked with for years. Three sizes — small (8×10), medium (11×14), large (16×20). Takes four to eight weeks. Many families commission these after the cremation arrives, when the grief has begun to settle and the photograph feels right.
Cremation arrangements.
Cremation, when elected, is arranged through our partner Dignified Pet Services in Tualatin — a licensed pet cremation facility that has handled all of our cremation work since 2019. We coordinate the pickup of the body from your home, usually within one to three hours after the visit, or the family can hold the body at home overnight and arrange transport in the morning.
Ashes return in seven to ten days. Dignified delivers to our office; we then arrange for you to pick up the ashes, or we can drop them at your home if that is easier — many families prefer the quiet of a small box arriving at the door over a return trip to a facility.
Ashes are returned in a simple wooden box by default. If you'd like a custom urn (see above), we can hold the ashes in the wooden box until the urn is ready, or you can transfer them at home whenever feels right.
If you are burying at home.
If the family is doing home burial, we leave you with everything you need. A simple cotton shroud (included at no extra charge if you ask), a small bag of biodegradable plant markers if you'd like to plant a tree or shrub over the spot, and clear written guidance on burial depth and orientation.
Home burial is legal on private property in Oregon, with some local-jurisdiction restrictions. We can help you navigate the rules for your specific city or county before the visit, so you know what is permitted on your property.
Resources we recommend.
Free phone support from trained counselors at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Open evenings; the number is on the printed card we leave at the visit. We have referred many families here over the years and consistently hear good things back.
A monthly in-person support group that meets at a community space in inner SE Portland. Free. Open to anyone grieving a companion animal. Contact information on the card we leave at the visit.
The Loss of a Pet by Wallace Sife — the standard reference, gentle and practical. On Grief and Grieving by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler — not pet-specific, but the best framework on grief generally. When Your Pet Dies by Sharon Eakes — short, useful, especially for families with children. And Devotions by Mary Oliver — not a grief book, but the right book for the quiet weeks after.