Small Saints Pet Urns and Keepsakes

09/08/2023

Home, you are home
''Tis not as if you ever left
Forever I feel your presence
Feel your every essence
Even stepping over where you once lay
Crying over sweet words I used to say
Hear the sadness of my sigh
For the realisation that no more will I
Hear the ti**le of your name tag
Smell your biscuity breath as you smile
Nor feel the softness of your coat
Or sit at my easel for a while
And watch you slumber & sleep
The enormity of my sorrow makes me weep

Home, you are home
''Tis not as if you ever left
We were never really apart
For I carry you eternally in my heart

22/04/2023

Pets grieve loss of their family members too. In helping them through their grief, you might find assistance through your own grief too.

Losing a beloved pet is devastating for people, and this loss can be just as upsetting to other animals in the household. Pet grief is somewhat of a mystery, and the subject of grief among animals has been the focus of many researchers for decades. From the heartbreaking

20/02/2023

“Pets, it turns out, also have last wishes before they die, but only known by veterinarians who put old and sick animals to sleep. Twitter user Jesse Dietrich asked a vet what was the most difficult part of his job.

The specialist answered without hesitation that it was the hardest for him to see how old or sick animals look for their owners with the eyes of their owners before going to sleep. The fact is that 90 % of owners don't want to be in a room with a dying animal. People leave so that they don't see their pet leave. But they don't realize that it's in these last moments of life that their pet needs them most.

Veterinarians ask the owners to be close to the animals until the very end. ′′It's inevitable that they die before you. Don't forget that you were the center of their life. Maybe they were just a part of you. But they are also your family. No matter how hard it is, don't leave them.

Dont let them die in a room with a stranger in a place they dont like. It is very painful for veterinarians to see how pets cannot find their owner during the last minutes of their life. They dont understand why the owner left them. After all, they needed their owner’s consolation.

Veterinarians do everything possible to ensure that animals are not so scared, but they are completely strangers to them. Don't be a coward because it's too painful for you. Think about the pet. Endure this pain for the sake of their sake. Be with them until the end.”

- Tricia Mo’orea

Photo credit: Travis Patenaude.

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27/03/2022

Small Saints received this lovely thank you card from a customer. Thank you so very much, and it is Small Saint's honour to do this work.

16/01/2022

A lovely story about a beloved dog's final resting place in the Canadian North.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/luna-belle-memorial-pet-funeral-1.6311220?fbclid=IwAR3iQQ3i75DmcZ2HGK1nswov-6N25L6qcrETtnI9-1uzRcUWQVFTn7LrQ6E

In late December, Anson Chappell brought his dog's ashes back to the place she loved the most. It was an act of remembrance for a pet who helped to shape his life, and a reminder of how hard it is to say goodbye.

02/12/2021

04/05/2021

A customer's pet urn ready for a laser engraved portrait.

21/02/2021

Elder dogs (and young dogs and their people too) are prone to slips and falls in the winter/ice season. The following are some excellent pieces of advice. Advice from Ottawa Animal Chiro:

1. Try to keep as much of the area where your dog goes out free from ice. Although this is very difficult at times, there are a few things you can do.

a) Breaking the ice with an ice scraper. At times it is impossible to remove all the ice, however crunched up ice is considerably less slippery than a sheet of ice.

b) Using sand can be helpful as ice salt is not recommend. Prolonged contact can lead to chemical burns on your dog’s feet.

c) Rubber mats are also an option especially if your dog is going out on a wooden deck in the backyard. They can be purchase at the local hardware store.

2. Keep the hair between your dog’s toe short. This is especially import for long hair dogs. Ice can accumulate in the hair making it twice as slippery.

3. Trim their nails just enough. In the summer, dog’s nail are almost always trimmer just right because they grind on the street. But ice and snow do not provide enough grinding effect. Dogs use their nail for traction so it is important to have appropriate length.

4. Keeping your dog close to you as you walk and teaching her not to pull can help her stay away from icy patches.

5. During freezing rain weather your dog still needs to go outside. I recommend going out with her as you can control the length of her leash and where she goes. Be sure to get crampons for your own boots!

And this is an excellent in depth article dealing with both athletic/working dog and elder dog winter injuries:

https://ivcjournal.com/winter-lameness/

Injuries sustained by active dogs that play, run or work in snowy or slippery winter conditions can be diagnostically challenging. A thorough exam is essential in dealing with these cases.

23/12/2020

This time of year can be bittersweet, yet comfort may be found in poetry, music, and memories.

31/12/2019

31/12/2019

Fergus' portrait is complete and he is ready to adorn a special place in his family's home.

01/12/2019

is advancing an underpainting of this kind canine soul, Fergus.

31/10/2019

A wonderful article that turns adoption motives right-side-up.

http://sighthoundunderground.com/http/this-is-not-your-dog/?fbclid=IwAR1CXGRUFfUZBZWncUX2aIRSFwJonmdycJ4Yzq0dTES-24qmKIktoNRP16c

Once a potential adopter complained about my terrible “customer service”. Recently a man likened the experience of adopting a dog to buying a car. Oh. Hell. No. I explained to both gent…

17/10/2019

They tell you not to cry.

They tell you that it's just a dog, not a human being.

They tell you that the pain will be over.

They tell you that the animals don't know that they have to die.

They tell you that it's important not to let him suffer.

They tell you that you can have another one.

They tell you it's going to happen to you.

They tell you that there is more pain.

But they don't know how many times you've looked into your dog’s eyes.

They don't know how many times you and your dog have looked into darkness alone.

They don't know how many times your dog was the only one who was by your side.

They don't know how much fear you have
at night when you wake up with your grief.

They don't know how many times your dog slept near you.

They don't know how much you've changed since the dog has become a part of your life.

They don't know how many times you hugged him when he was sick.

They don't know how many times you've acted like you didn't see her hair getting whiter.

They don't know how many times you've talked to your dog, the only one who really hears.

They don't know that it was just your dog who knew you were in pain.

They don't know what it feels like to see your old dog trying to say hello.

They don't know that if things went wrong, the only one who didn't go is your dog.

They don't know that your dog trusts you every moment of his life, even in the last.

They don't know how much your dog loved you and how it is enough for him to be happy, because you loved him.

They don't know that crying for a dog is one of the most noble, significant, true, clean and warmest things you can do.

They don't know when the last time you moved him with trouble... made sure it didn’t hurt him.

They don't know what it felt like to pet their face in the last moments of their life....

In Memory of all those who went over the rainbow bridge. You all have a place forever in our hearts 💕

Photo Travis Patenaude.
- author Emanuele Spud Grandi

06/10/2019

is working on an under-painting of a dear dog, Fergus, for a client. How this sketch turns out will inform the final painting. Fergus has a languid, soft and loving look in all his photographs that I hope to capture.

06/07/2019

Cognitive dysfunction (CD) in pets is distressing for both us and our pets. A pets anxiety and confusion can heighten in the evenings, just as in humans. It is called 'sundowning'. Here are some tips on how to manage CD.

https://www.dogster.com/dog-health-care/sundowning-in-dogs?fbclid=IwAR0UrNY3EhpeyVAtpGnFe0buYxqcXEG7NdWZe40mSaWBVWhFMRFVbP2lL8w

Is your dog wandering, getting stuck, pacing or barking for no reason more often in the evening / nighttime? These could all signal sundowning in dogs.