Homemade Pet Grave Markers

One of the easiest ways to make your pet its own gravestone is to simply look in your backyard. Find a large smooth rock, or if you can't find one large enough to your liking, head to the gardening section of your local hardware store. Using latex acrylic paint or spray paint, paint your animal's name and any unique memories you want on your rock. Once your paint has dried, spray a clear coat of shellac sealer to keep your paint from chipping in the outdoor weather. Other ideas you can try with rocks is to spell out your pet's name painting a new letter on each rock, or you can vary the rock in size depending on the size of your pet.

If you want your pet's grave marker in a unique shape, say a dog bone or fish for a cat, try using an easily moldable and cut medium such as cork or foam, which can be found at your local craft store. Once you have the shape you desire, simple paint the medium with either spray paint or acrylic latex paint and dry, applying a shellac sealer to preserve. You can even opt to mount your medium onto a rod or stick that you can stake into the ground so that your grave maker will be easily visible.

A popular grave marker, especially if you have a pet cemetery frequented repopulated by small animals such as hamsters, gerbils and birds, is using Popsicle sticks to create a cross that you can stake in the ground. This medium is great for small children who are mourning the loss of their first little friend, as the medium is easy to work with for kids and allows for lots of creativity. You can make a tiny cross to paint and write your animal's name on, or get your imagination going and create letters or shapes to put at your animal's grave. As with the other mediums, make sure that your final product is sealed with shellac, as most grave markers are intended for outdoor display and must survive the wear and tear of weather.