When an animal dies, there is usually no ceremony. No service, no gathering, often not even a day off work. People are left with a collar, a bowl they cannot throw away, and a phone full of photographs.
A cellular memorial gives that loss a permanent object.
What it is
Rather than a painted likeness, the piece is drawn from your companion's own cellular structure. The result is abstract — it does not look like your dog. It is made from your dog.
For many owners that is the point. A painted portrait can feel like a reproduction of a photograph you already have. A cellular piece is something else: an object that carries them without asking you to look at their face every day, which for some people is easier to live with.
How the sample is taken
A cheek swab, exactly as with a person. It is painless and takes seconds, and many owners collect it while their pet is still well — particularly with an ageing animal or a terminal diagnosis. If that window has passed, speak to us; there are often other options.
Choosing the piece
You choose the theme and abstraction level. Owners of working dogs often gravitate to Element pieces with visible structure and movement. Owners of cats more often choose Nature or Universe themes, in quieter registers.
Size is worth thinking about too. A memorial does not have to dominate a wall to matter — many of our pet commissions are deliberately intimate.
A note on timing
If your animal is unwell, taking a swab now costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Keep it. Decide later, or never. The option simply exists rather than closing.
Talk to us about a commission, or read the FAQ.