Dog memorials help people cope with the loss of a very close and loyal friend. They’re a great way to pay homage to many years of faithful dedication and joyful entertainment. If you’re thinking of giving your pet a dog memorial, here are some wonderful ways to do so.

If preferred, you can hold a small (or large) service for you dog similar to the way you would hold one for a family member or friend. Dog memorials can be just as trying and emotional and funerals for humans, but when that emotion is shared with close companions, the grieving is just a little bit more tolerable and when it’s all over, we can feel closure.

Some people may prefer a casket memorial while others may prefer cremation. If you decide to cremate your dog, you can place its ashes into a beautiful urn and sit it next to the dog’s photograph. Or you can spread its ashes throughout the property that he loved to run and play on. Another popular alternative is to bury the ashes and then grow a symbolic tree or bush over the dog’s remains.

If you’re feeling charitable, consider making a donation to a struggling animal shelter or to a scientific study – in your dog’s name of course! A great way to collect donations is with a memorial website.

It’s now easier than ever to set up a dog memorial website or webpage with a tool like MySpace.com. Since MySpace permits graphics, audio files, and videos, you can post your dog’s photo album, upload videos of your dog’s most captivating performances, and even share its barks with the entire world. A quick link to PayPal enables donations in any dollar amount which in many cases, can be forwarded to your favorite charity (provided it has a PayPal account as well).

The important thing to remember here is that no matter how you decide to pay homage, a dog memorial will be more meaningful if you make it more personal and less painful if others who were close to the dog participate in how everyone says their final goodbyes.