Dog Memorial Gifts: What People Actually Do to Remember a Dog
Most Australians who've lost a dog end up doing one of a handful of things: something planted in the garden, a shelf kept quietly with the collar on it, a place on the wall, a donation made in the dog's name, or something small enough to carry every day. None of these is more correct than another, and nothing bought online will make the loss smaller. This page is written for you directly, if it's your own dog you've lost, working through what people actually do, in whatever order and however soon feels right.
This page is written for you
This page speaks to you in the first person deliberately, about your dog and your loss, rather than to someone choosing a gift for a grieving friend. If you're the one doing the choosing for somebody else — a friend, a colleague, your mum — Fur d'Amore's broader pet memorial gifts guide is written for that situation instead, and covers a wider range of animals in more depth. There's no timeline attached to anything below. Some people know within days what they want to do; others don't feel ready to think about it for months, and both are entirely ordinary. Whatever stage you're at while reading this — the first night, six months on, or some ordinary Tuesday a year later for no reason you can name — nothing here assumes you should already have decided anything.
The options, at a glance
Before going through each in turn, it helps to see them side by side. None of these are exclusive, and most people end up doing more than one over time — a donation made straightaway, a shelf assembled slowly over the weeks that follow, and a wall piece considered only once the first months have properly passed.
| What people do | What it involves | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| A place in the garden | A tree, a shrub, or a bench at a favourite walking spot | Owners with a yard, a garden, or a track they still walk |
| A shelf with the collar | The collar, a toy and photographs, kept together, not necessarily on display | Anyone who'd rather keep the memory private |
| A wall | A framed photograph or a commissioned portrait | Those who want something seen every day, chosen in their own time |
| A donation in the dog's name | A gift to a charity such as RSPCA Australia | Anyone who'd rather help other dogs than receive an object |
| Something small, carried daily | A pendant or engraved tag, sometimes holding a lock of fur | Something worn quietly rather than displayed |
A place in the garden
Planting is one of the most common ways Australians mark a dog's death, and it scales to whatever space is available: a native shrub by the back step, a tree if there's more room, or simply a bench dedicated at the start of a walk that continues without the dog who used to lead it. It asks nothing sudden of you — a bare patch of garden can wait for spring, or for whenever it feels right, and there's no wrong moment to begin something that's meant to grow slowly anyway. A rose or a native grevillea both work equally well, and neither needs to be planted exactly where the dog is buried if that isn't possible — the gesture matters more than the precise spot.
A shelf with the collar
Not every memorial needs to be visible to a visitor. Keeping the collar on its hook rather than putting it away is already a form of remembering, and many people build on that quietly: a memory box holding the collar, a favourite toy and a few photographs, added to slowly rather than assembled all at once. A paw print or nose print keepsake, usually a clay cast taken before cremation or a simple inked print onto card, asks very little of the person arranging it — no photograph to choose, no style to decide on — which some people find easier in the earliest weeks. This option tends to suit anyone who finds a wall piece too public for something this personal, or whose home doesn't really have a wall to spare — a share house, a unit between moves, a room that isn't fully "settled" yet. None of it needs to happen at once, either, and there's no wrong order to add to it — a photograph found months later slots in just as naturally as one chosen on the first day.
A wall
For those who want something seen rather than kept privately, a framed piece is the more visible choice. Most people don't put it anywhere dramatic: the lounge room, the hallway of a Queenslander, above the sideboard, or a shelf in a study if home is a smaller unit rather than a house with room to spare. Fur d'Amore's memorial portrait option works from a photograph already taken — nothing needs to be staged specially. The artwork itself is AI-powered, and that's what makes it possible to see a free preview before any payment changes hands; what follows is physical work, archival canvas printing and a heritage frame, chosen to hold its colour rather than fade. Most people choose a quieter style such as Renaissance or Romantic for a memorial piece, though the choice is entirely personal, and there's no need to decide today — the preview itself costs nothing to look at. Six styles exist across the full range, and while Renaissance and Romantic suit most memorial pieces, there's no rule against Royal or Military if that's genuinely how the dog is remembered — a working farm dog photographed mid-muster can carry a livelier treatment perfectly well. A covered verandah works as a home for the finished piece too, provided it's shielded from direct weather, and a beach house often suits a lighter, more informal style than a stately city home might choose.
This borrows from a long tradition rather than inventing a new one. The history of portrait painting is centuries old, made for precisely this reason — to keep someone present after they were gone — and the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of New South Wales are worth a browse for anyone curious what that looks like once the sitter is long past caring how the likeness turned out.
A donation in the dog's name
A donation doesn't need to be large to mean something, and it suits almost any dog, any relationship, any budget. A gift made in the dog's name to RSPCA Australia is a common choice, and most charities will send a card or certificate confirming it — a quiet acknowledgement that doesn't require display anywhere in the house. Dogs Australia, the national body familiar to many owners even outside a loss like this, is another name worth knowing if the dog was pedigree or show-bred. A local vet clinic sometimes runs its own memorial fund too, worth asking about if RSPCA Australia doesn't feel like the right fit for a particular dog or a particular cause.
Something small, carried every day
Memorial jewellery works differently from anything displayed at home: a small pendant or charm, sometimes holding an actual lock of fur, worn rather than hung on a wall, private in a way a framed piece can never quite be. An engraved tag kept on a keyring does a similar quiet job — small enough to go unnoticed by anyone who isn't looking for it, and close enough to reach for on the days it's wanted. Both options travel well — into a car, a work bag, a pocket — in a way nothing hung on a wall ever can, which is part of why some people choose this over anything more visible.
Delivery within Australia
Fur d'Amore ships to Australia, and prices are shown in Australian dollars throughout, not converted at checkout from another currency. Shipping is calculated before payment, and a free preview is shown first for anyone considering a portrait, so nothing is committed to before it can be seen. Because pieces are produced overseas, a general rule is worth knowing: parcels valued at A$1,000 or under generally aren't charged duty, GST or clearance fees at the Australian border, with Australia Post's guidance setting out how that works in general terms. That covers every size and finish in the range, from the smallest digital file to the largest heirloom-framed canvas. There's no obligation at any stage before a final approval, so looking at a preview and deciding not to continue is a perfectly ordinary outcome, not a wasted step. None of it needs to happen quickly, and there's no advantage to ordering sooner rather than later — the preview will still be free, and the price ladder won't have moved in any way that matters, whenever you're ready to look.
Questions about sizing or how orders work are answered in the FAQ, and Fur d'Amore's wider dog portraits guide covers the same product outside a memorial context. Grief that resurfaces around an anniversary, or for no obvious reason at all, is ordinary rather than a setback; Humane World for Animals publishes general guidance on coping with pet loss, and Fur d'Amore's own guide to coping with the loss of a pet goes into this at more length.
Sources and further reading
Frequently asked questions
This page is for me, not for buying a gift for a friend — is that right?
Yes. This page is written for you, if it's your own dog you've lost, in your own time. If you're choosing something for a friend or colleague instead, Fur d'Amore's separate pet memorial gifts guide covers that situation, across a wider range of animals, in more depth.
What do people in Australia actually do to remember a dog?
Most choices fall into a handful of groups: something planted in the garden, a shelf kept quietly with the collar and photographs, a place on the wall, a donation made in the dog's name, or something small worn every day, like a pendant holding a lock of fur.
Where should a dog's memorial portrait hang in an Australian home?
Most people choose the lounge room, the hallway of a Queenslander, or above the sideboard — somewhere seen daily without drawing much attention from a visitor. In a smaller unit, a desk-sized piece on a shelf or in a study does the same quiet job.
Is it normal to still want to do something months or years after losing a dog?
Yes. There's no timeline for this. Some people plant a tree or choose a keepsake within weeks; others take years, and grief for a dog often resurfaces around an anniversary or for no obvious reason at all. That isn't a setback, and nothing here needs deciding on any schedule but your own.
Does Fur d'Amore deliver a dog memorial portrait within Australia?
Yes. Fur d'Amore ships to Australia and every price is shown in Australian dollars. Shipping is calculated at checkout before payment, and a free preview is shown first, so nothing is committed to before you've seen it. Parcels valued at A$1,000 or under generally aren't charged duty or GST at the border.