Person kneeling down next to a dog and kissing the side of their face

Remembering your special pet

Celebrating your pet’s life — and your enduring connection — can provide comfort and light in grief’s darkest moments.

Our pets are with us through thick and thin. They are woven into the very fabric of our everyday lives. That’s why we offer a number of ways to honor the memory of a cherished pet, and each can provide comfort while bringing love and care to animals around the country.

Memorial stones

Celebrate the life of your pet with a memorial or gift

Create a memorial webpage to remember your pet

Pay tribute to your special pet on a digital memorial page, where you can tell their story and upload your favorite photos to easily share with family and friends — and they can share their remembrances too.

Make a donation in memory of your pet

Your gift in memory of an animal will go straight to work helping homeless pets via Best Friends programs across the country. You can also set up a monthly memorial gift to help the animals year-round.

 

As part of your gift, you can pay tribute to your pet or your loved one’s pet in one of our monthly Angels Rest blessings. Angels Rest is at the heart of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, and it is the peaceful place of comfort and reflection where we remember special pets who have passed.

Person sitting down next to a dog outside with their arms around them

September is a month of pet remembrance

No matter where you live, you can attend our virtual and in-person gatherings to remember and celebrate special pets who are gone from our lives.
Comfort and healing throughout the month

Other meaningful ways to remember your pet

There are many ways to memorialize your pet at our animal sanctuary or at home. You can create a fundraiser or order a memorial marker or other item of tribute.

Flagstone marker

Memorial markers

These beautiful markers celebrate the lasting impact a pet has had on your life.
Order a marker
Wind chimes at Angels Rest

Wind chimes

The soothing sounds of wind chimes can comfort and calm a heart that’s hurting.
Order wind chimes
Memorial bricks

Sanctuary brick

An engraved brick is an enduring memorial for a pet or person who has passed.
Purchase a brick
Person sitting a desk holding pet sympathy cards in their hands

Comforting gifts

Bring comfort in times of grief to a pet lover in your life or even give to yourself.
Browse memorial gifts
Cat relaxing on a rug with sun coming through the window behind them

Create a fundraiser

Commemorate the life of a special animal by raising money and awareness for homeless pets.
Create a fundraiser

For information about requesting a placement for your pet at Angels Rest, please contact angelsrest@bestfriends.org or download a PDF of our brochure. 

We want you to know you are not alone. This is a community of caring pet lovers who understand the singular pain of saying goodbye to your best friend. And we are committed to honoring those lives by working to ensure that every dog and cat in this country has a loving family to call their own.
Person scratching a dog's chin while sitting together on a couch

Coping with pet loss

Grief over the passing of a companion animal is very real, but when you’re ready, there are paths to healing that can help you cope with the grief and sadness of losing a pet.
Grieving your pet
Angels Rest Gates

A peaceful place of remembrance

At the heart of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is Angels Rest, a place of comfort where we remember cherished pets who have passed and pay tribute to these never-forgotten companions.
See our place of remembrance
Person kneeling down to pet a cat

Celebrate a special life with a memorial donation

Your gift will go straight to work helping homeless pets via Best Friends programs across the country.
Make a memorial donation
Person kissing the side of a dog's face while hugging them

Create a memorial webpage for your pet

Whether you're creating a memorial for your own pet or on behalf of a grieving loved one, you’ll be able to easily share your tribute with family and friends, including via social media.
Create a pet memorial page
Best Friends Animal Society logo mark

About Best Friends

Here at Best Friends, home to the country’s largest no-kill companion animal sanctuary, we understand the special place that pets have in our lives.

Best Friends Animal Society is working to save the lives of pets in shelters around the U.S. We’re working to bring love home for dogs and cats all across the country, giving homeless pets the second chances they deserve — and your help will make a tremendous difference.

Just a few short years ago, cats and dogs were killed in staggering numbers in this country simply because shelters didn't have the community support or the resources to save their lives. That number is now less than half a million per year, but there’s still work to do to ensure a bright future for every dog and cat in America.

Angels Rest is a serene place of remembrance at the heart of Best Friends where hundreds of wind chimes ring in memory of beloved pets, carried on the soft breezes of Angel Canyon. It’s where memorial stones — with their touching tributes and keepsakes — pay tribute to the love we hold for our dogs, cats, and other companions.

Together, we will bring the whole country to no-kill in 2025. Together, we will Save Them All.