When Should You Order a Memorial Pet Portrait After Losing a Pet?

There is no correct number of days, weeks or months to wait before ordering a memorial pet portrait. Some people want to choose a favourite photograph soon after a loss. Others prefer to wait for months or years. A sensible time is when you can look through the available photos and make the practical decisions involved without feeling pressured to meet somebody else's idea of the 'right' moment.

A memorial portrait is optional. It is not a task that has to be completed as part of grieving, and there is no deadline after which a portrait somehow becomes less meaningful.

Is it too soon to order a pet memorial portrait?

Not automatically. If choosing photographs feels comforting or simply manageable, there is no rule saying you must wait.

It may be a workable time to order if you can:

• look through photographs and choose one you genuinely like;
• decide which age or life stage you want remembered;
• choose a portrait style and format without feeling rushed;
• review an artwork proof carefully;
• decide whether you want a name, dates or no text at all.

You do not need to feel cheerful about the process. You simply need enough space to make the choices that affect the finished artwork.

When might it make sense to wait?

Waiting can be sensible if looking through photographs is currently too difficult, if family members want time to choose together, or if you are unsure which image best represents the pet.

You might also wait when:

• the only photographs available are scattered across old phones or family albums;
• you want another person to help choose the reference image;
• you are undecided between a framed portrait, canvas or another keepsake;
• you are not sure whether adding dates or a quote will feel right;
• you are buying the portrait for somebody else and are uncertain how they would receive it.

There is nothing to gain from turning a personal remembrance into an administrative deadline.

Can you order a memorial portrait months or years later?

Yes. A portrait does not need to be commissioned immediately after a pet dies. Many of the practical decisions may actually become clearer later, once you have had time to organise photographs and decide which image feels most representative.

Older photographs can still be considered. If the best image is faded, printed, low-resolution or slightly blurry, see our guide to creating a pet memorial portrait from an old photo.

Should you wait for an anniversary or special date?

You can, but you do not have to. Some people prefer to commission artwork around a birthday, adoption anniversary, Christmas or another date connected with the pet. Others would rather avoid tying the portrait to the date of the loss altogether.

The portrait can simply be made when you want it. It does not need a commemorative date to justify its existence.

What if you cannot choose one photograph?

That is a practical reason to slow the decision down, not a sign that you have chosen the wrong time.

Start by separating photographs into a few groups:

1. images with the clearest face and eyes;
2. images with the most familiar expression;
3. images from the life stage you want represented;
4. images that show distinctive markings or accessories.

You can then choose one main reference and keep other photographs as supporting material. Read how to use more than one photo for a memorial pet portrait if no single image contains every detail you need.

Should a memorial portrait show the pet as young, adult or senior?

Choose the version of the pet that feels most recognisable to you. For some people that is a lively adult photograph. For others it is a senior face they saw every day for years.

Do not assume the youngest or most technically polished photograph is automatically the best choice. Age-related features, greying fur, a familiar expression or a particular collar may be part of the memory you actually want the portrait to preserve.

What about adding a name, dates or a quote?

You can keep the artwork simple. A memorial portrait does not require dates, a poem or a formal inscription.

If text is important, decide whether you want:

• the pet's name only;
• birth and death dates;
• a short phrase or quote;
• no text at all.

Our guide to names, dates and quotes on pet memorial portraits explains the trade-offs.

When should you give a memorial pet portrait as a gift?

This deserves more caution than ordering one for yourself. A portrait can be a thoughtful sympathy gift, but grief is personal and not everybody wants a surprise piece of memorial artwork, particularly very soon after a loss.

Consider how well you know the recipient, whether they display photographs or keepsakes, whether you have access to a genuinely meaningful image, and whether a quieter gesture might suit them better.

If you are unsure, read our pet portrait gift etiquette guide and pet memorial gifts UK guide.

A practical readiness checklist

Before ordering, ask yourself:

• Can I choose a photograph without rushing?
• Do I know which life stage I want the portrait to represent?
• Have I kept the best-quality original image available?
• Do I want a simple portrait or memorial text as well?
• Do I know roughly where the finished artwork will go?
• Can I review a proof and request changes if something looks wrong?
• If this is a gift, am I reasonably confident the recipient would welcome it?

If most of those decisions feel manageable, the timing is probably practical. If they do not, waiting is entirely reasonable.

What happens once you decide to order?

For Paw & Glory's current custom portrait process, you choose the artwork and provide the pet photograph, the portrait is hand-illustrated, and an artwork preview is provided before production. Artwork edits can be requested before approval.

For memorial artwork, use the proof stage to check the details that matter most: expression, markings, ears, eye area, crop and any chosen text.

The full ordering process is covered in how to commission a pet memorial portrait. If you are still deciding whether a portrait is the right kind of keepsake at all, read should you get a pet memorial portrait?

Whenever the timing feels right for you, you can browse the current pet memorial portrait collection.