{"id":2209,"date":"2020-02-10T11:53:40","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T16:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mypetsanimalhospital.com\/wp1\/?p=2209"},"modified":"2020-02-10T11:53:40","modified_gmt":"2020-02-10T16:53:40","slug":"creative-ways-to-memorialize-a-beloved-pet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mypetsanimalhospital.com\/creative-ways-to-memorialize-a-beloved-pet\/","title":{"rendered":"Creative Ways to Memorialize a Beloved Pet"},"content":{"rendered":"
Losing a beloved pet is difficult and heartbreaking. When faced with this painful reality, many of us want to honor our four legged family member in a lasting and memorable way. There are many possibilities for doing just that. Options include choosing a more traditional object such as a garden stone or something more creative like turning our pet’s ashes into a diamond<\/a>. Unfortunately, for most of us the costs associated with having our pet’s ashes transformed into a diamond is too expensive and impractical.<\/p>\n There are several practical, affordable and meaningful options available thanks to a community of artists from the online marketplace, Etsy<\/a>. Using a process called chiengora<\/a>, these artists offer everything from hand spun yarn to pet fur teddy bears, scarves, hats, socks and other objects. Chiengora is a process from which yarn is spun from pet hair. After creating yarn from cat and dog fur, these artists spin the yarn into beautiful custom keepsakes.<\/p>\n One of these artists is Theresa Furrer of Nine Lives Twine<\/a>. Ms. Furrer takes cat or dog fur and spins it into yarn from which she creates woven keepsakes. Katie Jane Thomas of Lynchburg, Va., wanted to find a way to meaningfully commemorate the life of her husband’s beloved dog, Yobee, a Labrador chow chow mix. Her online search led her to Ms. Furrer who says, “If I’m able to help someone’s heart to heal, that’s the goal.”<\/p>\n Ms. Thomas found the entire process to be a reverent one. According to Ms. Thomas, “The unboxing was a gift in itself. I’ve only seen my husband cry twice, and this was one of those times.”<\/p>\n The artists who make yarn using chiengora feel their endeavors give them a meaningful purpose in life. The healing and comfort their keepsake objects provide to those mourning the loss of a beloved pet gives these artists a true sense of satisfaction. Another artist, Kim Hines is the proprietor of Simply Handspun Yarns<\/a> located in Crossville, Tenn. Ms. Hines began spinning chiengora nine years ago. She finds tremendous contentment from creating meaningful memories for those mourning the loss of a pet. “I want people to be able to have something of their pet,” Ms. Hines said.<\/p>\n Having a keepsake object created from yarn spun from a beloved pet’s fur can provide tremendous comfort to those in mourning. As Ms. Furrer of Nine Lives Twine<\/a> noted, “Brushing and grooming your pet is an intimate ritual. What I’m able to do is a continuation of that ritual. If a pet has passed on, it closes that loop. The yarn becomes a part of their circle of life.” This is a beautiful option to consider when searching for a meaningful way to honor the memory of a beloved furry family member.<\/p>\n