Remembering Your Pet on All Souls' Day: A Candle for Them

Every year at the start of November, families around the world light candles for those who have passed. All Souls' Day on November 2, and Día de los Muertos on November 1 and 2, are days of remembrance, and more and more people are making room in them for the animals they have loved. If you are missing a dog, a cat or another companion, this is a gentle time to remember your pet and light a candle for them.

Why people light candles in early November

All Souls' Day is a day for remembering the departed, and in many places it is marked by lighting candles at home or at graves. In Día de los Muertos traditions, families build ofrendas, small home altars with photos, flowers, favorite foods and candles, to welcome the memory of the people they love. Candles light the way and keep a place warm for them.

Many families include beloved animals in these traditions, with a photo, a collar, or a favorite toy set among the flowers. It is a celebration of love more than a time of sadness, and that spirit fits our pets perfectly. They filled our days with joy, and remembering them can too.

Gentle ways to remember your pet on November 2

• Make a small remembrance corner. A photo, their collar or tag, a flower, and a candle. It does not need to be big. A windowsill is enough.
• Set out something they loved. A favorite toy, a tennis ball, the blanket they always claimed.
• Light a candle at dusk. Evening, when the house used to settle and they curled up beside you, can be the most fitting time.
• Tell a story about them. Share one funny or tender memory with your family, or write it down.
• Walk their favorite route. If you had a daily walk together, take it once more in their honor.
• Do something kind in their name. A small donation of food or blankets to a local shelter is a lovely way to let their love keep going.

Saying their name

Of all the ways to remember, saying their name may be the simplest and the most powerful. Remembrance traditions hold that the people, and pets, we keep speaking of are never truly gone. On All Souls' Day, say your pet's name out loud. Tell them you miss them. Thank them for the years.

If you have been noticing repeating numbers since they passed, such as 111, 222, 444 or 11:11, you are far from alone. Angel Numbers After Losing a Pet explains what those signs are often said to mean.

When the loss is new

If your pet passed recently, a remembrance day can feel tender in a different way. There is no wrong way to spend it. Some people want a full remembrance corner; others just want to light one candle and sit with a photo. Both are love. Go gently with yourself.

A candle at the Rainbow Bridge

If you cannot light a real candle, or want to share one with family far away, you can light a free candle for your pet in the Rainbow Bridge Room. Add their name and photo, and watch it become a soft watercolor portrait beside the flame, something you can keep, and print for your remembrance corner if you would like.