Honouring Your Pet After Loss

Meet the Blogger

Sharon Canovas is a dog mom to two boys, Cisco and Tito, and is devoted to giving them the best life she can.

Sharon has been a professional stuntwoman in film and TV for over 20 years, and continues to work in the industry today, on shows like Frankenstein, Arrow, and The Flash, to name a few. During the pandemic, she needed a creative outlet to help her through a difficult stretch with depression, and that's how Canovas Photography began.

Sharon believes that the bond between a family and their pet is one of life's most beautiful stories, and she considers it a privilege to be the one who tells it.

Her dedication to her craft goes beyond the camera. Sharon is a proud member of the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) and holds a specialized canine accreditation, a recognition of the depth of knowledge and care she brings to every session.

She became a certified pet loss grief specialist to better support her clients through end-of-life photography sessions, handled with the utmost empathy, dignity, and love, preserving those last precious moments so they are never truly lost.

A Little About Her Helpers

Cisco, The Boss Dog:
Smart, calm, and a little obsessed with cheese. Cisco stood by Sharon through her depression after losing her dad, and it was through his obedience training that she found the strength to keep going.

Tito, the Action Star:
Full of energy from the moment he wakes up, and smart enough to spell his way past "cookies," "treats," and "hike." Tito is named after a stuntman friend's dog, Clay, who passed away the same day Tito was born, and he carries that same fearlessness.

Honouring Your Pet After Loss

Being a pet parent might be the bravest thing a person ever chooses to do, and most of us don't think about it that way when we welcome a pet into our lives.

We love them for the way they curl up beside us at the end of a hard day, asking for nothing but our hand on their fur. For how happy they are to see us, every single time, like nothing else that day mattered. For the comfort of just having them near, on the bad days especially, when nothing else in the house feels steady. For the routine we build with them, the walks, the feeding times, the spot they claim on the couch. That love they give us, we never find it anywhere else, not the same way.

And somewhere in the back of our minds, we already know how the story ends. We're going to outlive that love. Every single time, and we choose it anyway. That love doesn't disappear when they're gone. Grief is just love with nowhere left to go, until we find it somewhere new.

Here are a few ways you can honour your pet once they've crossed the rainbow bridge.

Painted Pet Portraits
Tracy Munson is an award-winning pet photographer who can also turn your favourite cell phone photo into a masterpiece worthy of a place on your wall.

Every portrait starts with a photo you already have, so no professional photo shoot is needed. Using a mix of digital hand-painting techniques, Tracy transforms that photo into something that looks like a true painting, then has it printed on canvas or fine art paper for you to display in your home.

It doesn’t need to be perfect, high resolution, or even particularly sharp. It just needs to be theirs. The way they tilted their head, the look in their eyes, or maybe it’s your favourite action shot of them mid-run — whatever it is that makes that photo the one you keep going back to. Tracy takes that and turns it into something entirely new.

Whether it’s a dog, a cat, a horse, or whatever pet holds your heart, this is a beautiful way to honour them by hanging a meaningful portrait on your walls.

You can check out her work at the links below:
Painted Pet Portraits

Instagram: Tracy Munson Photography

Dedicate a Space in Your Garden
Creating a space in your garden or yard can serve as a peaceful tribute to your pet.

Your yard already holds so many memories of your pet: the zoomies across the grass, that mischievous look right before they got into something, or the quiet afternoons they just sat beside you while your mind wandered.

Whether you plant a tree, plant flowers, or place a memorial stone in their name, that spot becomes a place for reflection and for remembering the bond you shared.

If you're looking for a memorial stone to place in that space, WestCoastGiftCo hand-transfers your pet's photo onto a real natural stone, so their face becomes part of that spot in your garden forever.

West Coast Gift Co.

Get a Tattoo
Some people carry their pets with them forever by getting a tattoo.

It's there on the good days and the hard ones, not just when you're actively grieving.

Whether it's a paw print, your pet's name, or something symbolic of your connection, a tattoo can be a personal and lasting tribute to the love you shared. Some people keep it small, a paw or a set of initials somewhere discreet. Others go bigger, a portrait, a favourite phrase, something that means nothing to anyone but you.

However you choose to do it, it becomes something you carry with you, always close, wherever you go.

Not every belonging is easy to let go of, and sometimes you don't realize how much you're holding onto until it's gone.

After I lost Oscar, I gave his bed to Cisco the day we brought him home. I think it was my way of holding on to Oscar a little longer.

Puppies don't know what a bed means, or whose it was.

To Cisco, it was just something to chew on while he explored his new home. Within minutes, he had torn the corner apart.

I cried for days. It felt like the last piece I had of Oscar was gone.

Grief doesn't follow a schedule; it moves at its own pace no matter how prepared you think you are. What I learned that day was that I wasn't ready to give away Oscar's belongings. Not even to Cisco, who I had no idea yet would become my soul dog.

There's no set amount of time for this. Some people go through their pet's belongings within weeks. Others keep everything for years, or never let go of certain pieces at all, and they are all valid.

When your heart is ready, here's how you can honour your pet through the belongings they left behind.

Donate to a Local Rescue
Your pet's belongings don't have to sit in a closet or end up in the trash. Local rescues are often in need of toys, beds, leftover treats, or food, the same things your pet once used every day.

If their bed or toys are still in good shape, there is another pet out there who needs exactly that. A shelter dog who's never had a soft place to sleep. A rescue cat who's never had a toy of their own. What was once loved by your pet gets to be loved by another, and that's a kind of goodbye that keeps giving.

Donate to a Local Food Bank
There’s a food bank in every community, and many of them accept pet food donations too, since keeping a pet fed can be a real struggle for families going through hard times.

If you have unopened food, treats, or supplies your pet never got to use, donating them means another pet gets to eat well tonight, and another family gets to keep their pet a little longer. It's a quiet way to turn what's left behind into something good for someone else.

Ask Your Veterinarian
Your vet often knows their clients better than you'd think, including which ones are quietly struggling to afford food, medication, or basic supplies for their pet.

It's a way of making sure your pet's things go directly to another pet who needs them, and to someone who might not have anywhere else to turn.

When I was ready, I donated Oscar's belongings to a pet in my community who needed them. I didn't do it right away, and I didn't do it on anyone's timeline but my own.

Grief doesn't move in a straight line, and neither does letting go of what someone left behind. You might donate their belongings, keep every last one, or keep some and let go of others. However you choose to honour your pet, it all comes from the same place: the love you still have for them.

Being a pet parent means loving someone fully, knowing one day you'll have to say goodbye. That's the bravest part of it.

Even after they're gone, you keep finding ways to love them. And that never stops.