What to Do With Your Pet's Ashes or Fur — A Gentle Guide to Keepsakes That Last

Losing a pet is a real loss. The kind that catches you off guard with how much it hurts, even when you knew it was coming. The kind that leaves a specific silence in a house — a gap where something used to be.

A keepsake doesn't fill that gap. Nothing does. But having something physical — something you can hold, or see on a shelf, or pick up on a difficult day — can matter more than you might expect.

This guide is here to help. It covers the options available for keeping something of your pet close — from the practical to the deeply personal — and the questions worth asking before you decide.

Take your time with it. There's no hurry.

What You Might Have — and What's Possible

Most people come to this with one of three things: ashes, fur, or both. Occasionally a collar tag, a name disc, or a small personal item. All of these can be worked with. Here's what each makes possible.

Ashes
Pet ashes can be set into resin keepsakes — suspended permanently in crystal clear resin in a shape of your choosing. A small dome, a heart, a sphere, a simple rectangular block. The ashes become part of the piece itself, visible as a soft, frosted presence within the resin. The result is something you can hold, display, or keep close — a physical object that carries the weight of what it means.

Fur
Pet fur preserves beautifully in resin. A small curl or tuft — the kind you might have kept without quite knowing why — can be set into a keepsake that holds its colour and texture for decades. Fur also presses well for framed pieces if you prefer something for a wall rather than a surface.

Both
Ashes and fur together create the most complete keepsake — two physical presences from the same animal, held together in one piece. Many people find this the most meaningful option.

A tag, disc, or charm
Small flat metal items can be embedded alongside ashes or fur in a resin piece. A name tag from a collar. A vaccination disc. Anything small, flat, and meaningful.

The Shapes and Sizes Worth Knowing About

Resin keepsakes come in a range of shapes and sizes — and the right one depends on how you want to live with the piece.

Small pieces are personal and portable. A small dome or sphere sits on a bedside table, a desk, or a windowsill. Something you can pick up and hold. These work well for ashes, fur, or both, and are often the pieces people find most comforting in the early weeks of grief.

Medium pieces make more of a statement — a heart, a larger dome, a shaped block. Still personal, but more present in a room. These suit people who want the piece to be seen, not hidden.

Framed pressed pieces are for those who want something for a wall. Fur pressed flat and arranged in a botanical-style composition, sealed under glass — quiet, elegant, and completely unique.

The right size is simply the one that feels right for where you want the piece to live.

An Honest Note on Timing

There is no deadline. Many people wait weeks or months after losing a pet before they feel ready to think about a keepsake. Others want to do something immediately — a way of holding onto the moment before it slips. Both are completely valid.

If your pet has recently passed and you're not sure you're ready, you don't need to decide now. Ashes keep indefinitely. Fur, stored somewhere dry and cool, keeps well too. Whenever you're ready — whether that's next week or next year — the option will still be there.

The only thing worth knowing is that if you do want a piece made from fresh flowers (from a service, for example), those need to be sent within a specific window. For everything else — ashes, fur, tags — there is no rush at all.

What the Process Actually Looks Like

If you do decide to go ahead, here's what happens — simply and honestly.

You get in touch. Tell me what you have — ashes, fur, both, any small items — and what you're thinking of in terms of size and shape. If you're not sure, that's fine too. We'll work it out together.

You send your materials. I'll give you clear, simple instructions for packing and posting everything safely. Everything is handled with the same care I'd want someone to handle something precious of mine.

I make your piece. Resin is poured in careful layers, with your materials set exactly where they should be. You'll receive updates, and a photo before anything is posted back to you.

It arrives, beautifully packaged. Ready to keep, display, or give as a gift to someone who loved the same animal.

Any unused materials are always returned.

And if you're not ready yet…

Some people know immediately what they want to do. Others wait weeks, or months, before they feel ready to think about it. Both are completely normal. If you're reading this, you're probably somewhere in that in-between — looking for something that feels right, without quite knowing what that is yet.

Still wondering what to do with your pet's ashes or fur? If you'd like to talk through what's possible before you decide anything, you're welcome to get in touch. No obligation — just a conversation.

And if you're not ready yet, that's completely fine. This will still be here when you are.

With love,
Joanna ❤️