For many pet owners, their beloved animal friends are genuine family members. Thus, when their pets pass away, they may want to ensure they always remember them.
One way to honor a pet’s memory is to get a pet memorial tattoo. Permanently marking your body with an image that reminds you of your pet is one of many ways you can keep them in your heart forever.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- Simple Pet Memorial Tattoo Ideas
- Pet Memorial Tattoos Ideas With an Infinity Sign
- Unique Pet Memorial Tattoo Ideas
- Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial Tattoo Ideas
- Pet Memorial Tattoo Ideas for Your Wrist
That said, pet memorial tattoos can come in numerous forms. You may like the idea of getting such a tattoo, but you also might not know how exactly it should look.
Don’t worry if so. While you should not necessarily choose which type of tattoo you’re going to get based solely on what you read in a single blog entry, the following pet memorial tattoo design ideas are a few noteworthy examples to keep in mind.
Simple Pet Memorial Tattoo Ideas
A pet memorial tattoo doesn’t need to be complex or elaborate to serve its purpose. A simple design can nevertheless perfectly encapsulate the love you still and always will have for a lost pet. Ideas to consider include:
1. A paw print
A paw print design is a classic tattoo for a reason. It doesn’t call too much attention to itself, but it clearly indicates what type of relationship the tattoo symbolizes. Naturally, this type of pet memorial tattoo is ideal for a dog memorial tattoo or cat memorial tattoo.
2. ‘In loving memory’
A pet memorial tattoo that consists of the words “In loving memory” and the name of your pet is another simple pet memorial tattoo idea you may lean towards. While others who see this tattoo might not know it is in honor of your pet (unless, of course, they already knew about your close relationship with said pet), that might not matter to you. A pet memorial tattoo can be a personal and private reminder of a dear friend who is now gone.
3. Illustration
A tattoo that resembles your pet is arguably a simple idea, but it’s a popular choice because many find comfort in being able to see the image of a lost pet whenever they wish to. You’ll just need to find a tattoo artist skilled enough to create a convincing illustration if you choose this design.
Pet Memorial Tattoos Ideas With an Infinity Sign
Including an infinity sign in any sort of memorial tattoo, be it for an animal or a human, is a common way to suggest that the love you have for the subject of the tattoo lasts forever and transcends even death. Ways to include an infinity sign in a pet memorial tattoo include:
4. Paw print and heart
This is one of the most common designs for a pet memorial tattoo with an infinity sign. It’s also fairly simple. It’s merely an infinity sign with the shape of a heart intersecting the loop at one end and the shape of a paw print intersecting the loop at the other end.
One of the main benefits of this design is its versatility. You can get this tattoo on virtually any part of your body without it looking out of place. This design can also be quite small or quite large and still look appealing regardless.
5. Infinity sign with feather
Consider this pet memorial tattoo idea if you are getting a tattoo in honor of a lost bird. The design consists of an illustration of a feather, with the end of the feather extending into an infinity symbol.
6. Fish infinity sign
This design is a little more complex than the others in this section. If you choose it, you may want to confirm you’ve hired a tattoo artist who is qualified to deliver the results you’re looking for.
If you’ve lost a beloved pet fish, you might want to get a tattoo in which an illustration of a fish seems to naturally follow one of the curves of an infinity sign, as if the fish is swimming along the curve. By combining the two images into one, you can suggest that your fish’s soul is still infinite.
Unique Pet Memorial Tattoo Ideas
You might want to be confident your pet memorial tattoo is as unique as your pet was when they were alive. If so, you may choose such a design as:
7. The pet family
Have you lost multiple pets, or do you have multiple pets? If so, perhaps you’d want to get a pet memorial tattoo for each one. You could place each tattoo in generally the same area on your body, reminding you of the loving family of pets you raised in your home.
The tattoo designs themselves can be simple icons that represent each pet (such as a paw print for a dog, a feather for a bird, etc.), or they can be detailed illustrations of your pets as they appeared in life. Either way, if you think of your various pets as being members of the same family, this is a somewhat unique idea that may appeal to you.
8. Cartoon illustration
You need to strike a delicate balance when getting a pet memorial tattoo. You might want to get a tattoo that reminds you of your pet, but at the same time, a stark and daily reminder of a beloved pet who is no longer with you could upset you if you have to look at it every day.
There are other options to consider if this is a concern. If you can find a tattoo artist with enough skill and creativity, you could get a tattoo of a cartoonish illustration of your pet. Your goal is to get a tattoo that looks enough like your pet to genuinely honor their memory without looking so realistic that it causes emotional pain.
Some people who get this type of pet memorial tattoo also choose to have it resemble their pet engaging in some sort of cute activity it once enjoyed. For example, you might get a tattoo featuring a cartoonish illustration of your dog catching a frisbee.
Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial Tattoo Ideas
The “Rainbow Bridge” is the subject of a poem that has brought peace to many who have lost beloved pets. It suggests that when pets die, their souls cross the Rainbow Bridge to a happy place where we may one day reunite with them. Ways to include the Rainbow Bridge in a pet memorial tattoo include:
9. Rainbow Bridge and infinity symbol tattoo
You could take any of the infinity sign tattoo ideas from earlier and add some greater emphasis to them by adding a rainbow to one of the curves of the infinity symbol. If you’re not sure whether you want an infinity symbol pet memorial tattoo or a Rainbow Bridge pet memorial tattoo, this type of design allows you to combine both.
10. Crossing the Rainbow Bridge
This design is somewhat intricate and may require the talents of a skilled tattoo artist. It also doesn’t come in one single form.
Generally, it consists of a colorful illustration of the Rainbow Bridge. Typically, this type of pet memorial tattoo will also feature the image of an animal that resembles the pet the tattoo is in honor of crossing the Rainbow Bridge.
11. The Rainbow Bridge poem
Although it may take up a fairly large amount of space on your body, you could simply get a tattoo that consists of the text of the Rainbow Bridge poem. You might personalize it by adding the name of your pet above or below the poem. You can also surround the poem with illustrations that appeal to you, such as paw prints or any other images that remind you of your pet.
Pet Memorial Tattoo Ideas for Your Wrist
Many consider the wrist to be an ideal spot for a pet memorial tattoo. On the one hand, a tattoo that fits on your wrist will be quite small, so it won’t call too much attention to itself, which you may find important.
On the other hand, odds are good you see your wrist multiple times throughout the day, ensuring you’ll have a constant reminder of a lost pet. Ideas for a pet memorial tattoo on your wrist include:
12. A heart
Like many wrist tattoos, this design is simple, but still meaningful. The outline of a heart with some sort of basic image that reminds you of your pet (such as paw prints) along the lines of the heart may be exactly what you are looking for in a pet memorial tattoo. Or, you can get a tattoo featuring the outline of a heart with the name of your pet in the blank space between the lines.
13. Simple illustration
While there are exceptions, usually, a wrist tattoo will not be particularly detailed. As such, when someone gets a pet memorial tattoo on their wrist that consists of an illustration of their pet, the illustration itself isn’t colorful.
It may instead be a general outline of their pet’s face. Keep this idea in mind if you want to get a pet memorial tattoo that genuinely looks like your pet but remains fairly minimalist in its appearance.
Pet Memorial Tattoos: Remembering Lost Friends
Again, this blog post is not encouraging you to choose one of these designs right now. It’s simply meant to give you some ideas worth considering. For more information on this subject in general, check out our guide on memorial tattoo quotes.