Plan your pet's memorial stone on paper before anyone engraves it
A new headstone can take 6–12 weeks[1] to make (per one large retailer), and a misspelled name can't be sanded off. This worksheet puts placement, permission, size and wording in one record you can check and share.
- Six stone-specific questions to answer or flag
- Side-by-side check of two written quotes
- Copy, download or email your plan
What should I record before contacting the team?
Pet Memorial Stones & Garden Markers uses this worksheet to prepare worldwide inquiries. Your entries stay in this page’s memory until you copy, download or open an email draft. Reloading clears the fields. Record the requested outcome and location, leaving unresolved choices as questions and sensitive medical or personal details out of a shared copy.
0 of 6 fields have an entry. This is a completion count, not a safety score or booking approval.
How do I compare two itemized quotes?
Pet Memorial Stones & Garden Markers compares your entered amounts for worldwide inquiries; it does not supply market prices. Use two written quotes in one currency, counting each charge once. Leave unknown amounts blank and use zero only for confirmed inclusions or no charge. Put taxes and other separate charges in the final row.
The tool adds your entries. It does not estimate prices, recommend a provider or establish that two service definitions are equivalent.
| Cost factor | Quote A | Quote B |
|---|---|---|
| Stone type and size | ||
| Engraving method | ||
| Base or installation | ||
| Freight or delivery | ||
| Taxes and other quoted charges | ||
| Entered subtotal | UnknownSome amounts unknown | UnknownSome amounts unknown |
How can I keep and share my planning record?
Pet Memorial Stones & Garden Markers lets you keep this worldwide planning record with your answers, selected source and entered quote amounts. Copying or downloading creates a copy you control. Opening an email draft lets you review the text in your email app before sending; none of these actions automatically submits an inquiry.
Clear entries removes all worksheet fields, including quote amounts and currency. It does not delete a copy you already saved or an email draft.
Read the text of your plan
Pet Memorial Stones & Garden Markers: The outdoor marker site specification Original planning worksheet; entries supplied by the visitor. Country or territory: To confirm City and region: To confirm Private garden, cemetery or other placement: To confirm Written landowner permission: To confirm Stone dimensions and base: To confirm Lettering proof and viewing distance: To confirm Drainage and irrigation exposure: To confirm Cleaning and maintenance instructions: To confirm Before proceeding: Approve permission, installation and inscription before the stone is engraved.
Before you order
Why a stone deserves a written plan
A memorial stone is one of the few pet aftercare purchases you can't easily undo. Personalized pieces are almost never returnable, and once letters are cut into granite the wording is fixed for decades. The mistakes people describe afterward are rarely about the stone itself: it was too small to read, too heavy to move, or not allowed where they wanted it.
Planning first also takes the rush out. Simple engraved garden stones can arrive in ~1 week[2], which is tempting when grief is fresh. A written plan lets you order quickly when you're ready without skipping the questions that matter.
6–12 weeks[1]
Field by field
How to fill in each part of the stone worksheet
Choose your country and type your city and region; no street address is needed. Then work through the six boxes. Write what you know, and where you don't know, write the question instead. "Ask cemetery about maximum width" is a perfectly good entry. For the wording box, the memorial stone planner checks line lengths, and our post on what to write on a pet memorial stone has ideas. Your local page helps with the climate notes.
- Placement. Name the exact spot: under the lilac, at plot 14, beside the back step. Note sun, shade and whether a mower passes over it.
- Written landowner permission. If you rent, share a yard or use a cemetery, record who must agree and whether you have it in writing.
- Stone dimensions and base. Measure the spot with a tape and note the height of any edging. Record whether the stone sits on soil, gravel or a concrete footing.
- Lettering proof and viewing distance. Write the exact wording, spelling and date format, and how far away you'll usually stand to read it.
- Drainage and irrigation. Note sprinkler heads, downspouts and low spots where water collects after rain.
- Cleaning and maintenance. Record who will look after it and what the maker says is safe to use on that finish.
Comparing makers
Checking two stone quotes against each other
Below the six fields, the worksheet has a small table for two written quotes, split into stone type and size, engraving method, base or installation, freight or delivery, and taxes. Enter only amounts that are written down. Leave the rest blank, which the table shows as unknown, rather than guessing.
Freight is where stone quotes drift apart. Engraved natural river stones sell for $38–$115[3] at one US maker, depending on size, and travel in a box, while a granite upright may need a pallet and a two-person delivery. Artwork also varies widely: photo-etched or flat granite markers start at ~$158–$160[4], but a laser-etched portrait on a full headstone typically runs $500–$800[5] (per one large retailer).
Free tool
Memorial stone planner
Plan size, material and engraving length so your wording fits the stone.
Who says yes
Permission and long-term care, settled in writing
In a private garden you own, the only permission you need is usually your household's. Renters need the landlord's agreement, and some homeowner associations restrict anything set into shared lawns. Pet cemeteries have their own rules on material, size and who may install a marker, so ask for them in writing and copy the key lines into the worksheet. If the plan involves digging, in the US contact 811, the free before-you-dig service, and note the date you called. In England, the government's guidance on animal burials sets out when home burial needs no permission.
Cemeteries may also charge for upkeep. Hartsdale in New York offers plot maintenance at $105/yr or $3,500[6], and by our reckoning its one-time perpetual care fee equals ~33 years[7] of annual payments. The cemetery marker rules guide lists the questions to ask before you buy a plot or a stone.
Planning early
Planning a stone while your pet is still with you
Some families fill in this worksheet months ahead, often when a pet is old or unwell. It is a gentle way to prepare, and it gives you time for one job that can't be done later: taking a clear, well-lit photo if you'd like an etched portrait. Side light and a plain background etch far better than a busy snapshot.
Would you want your pet's photo etched into the stone?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
You can also leave wording as a question until later. Our placing and maintaining a memorial stone post covers the practical side, and the memorial budget planner helps if the stone is one part of a wider plan. Other readers' plans are in the live poll results.
Next steps
What to do with your finished stone plan
When you're done, copy the plan, download it as a text file or open an email draft. None of these sends anything by itself, and reloading the page clears the boxes, so save a copy first. Share it with whoever else has a say, and ask them to mark anything they'd change.
Ready for prices? Paste the plan into the notes box of the request form and we'll email you makers who can quote for that size, placement and wording. If you'd rather compare types first, the stone and marker options page covers each one. Not sure which box to tackle first? The three-question stone quiz points you to it.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
What feels like the right amount to spend on a garden stone?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Would you want your pet's photo etched into the stone?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Would you pre-pay for aftercare while your pet is still healthy?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Questions people ask
Do I have to fill in every box on the stone worksheet?
No. The count at the bottom only tells you how many boxes have something in them; it isn't a score. A plan with three answers and three written questions is often more useful to a maker than six vague guesses.
Is my stone plan saved anywhere?
Only in your browser while the page is open. Nothing goes to us unless you open the email draft and choose to send it, or paste the plan into our form. Download or copy the plan before closing the tab, because reloading clears every field.
What size memorial stone should I plan for a pet?
Start from the spot and the wording, not the catalog. A name and two dates fit comfortably on a stone about 10 to 12 inches wide; a short line of verse usually needs more. Measure where it will sit, then check the maker's letter height so it's readable from where you'll stand.
Why do two quotes for the same stone differ so much?
Usually because they aren't the same stone. Material grade, lettering method, the base, and heavy-item freight all vary between makers. Split each quote into the worksheet's rows and ask about any row left blank before comparing totals.
Can I plan a pet memorial stone before my pet dies?
Yes, and many people find it steadying. You can record placement and permission, take good photos and leave wording open. Nothing on the worksheet commits you to an order, and you can come back to it whenever you're ready.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] New headstones take 6–12 weeks to make; adding dates to an existing stone takes 1–4 weeks once scheduled. Memorials.com – Headstone Engraving Cost, 2026.
- [2] Adirondack Stone Works says engraved pet stones arrive in about a week from ordering. Adirondack Stone Works Pet Memorials, 2026.
- [3] Adirondack Stone Works sells engraved natural-stone pet memorials from $38 (6–7 inch mini) to $115 (13–14 inch large), with 1–4 lines of text included. Adirondack Stone Works Pet Memorials, 2026.
- [4] Photo-etched or flat granite pet markers start at about $158–$160 at two US sellers. Our estimate: Memorials.com flat granite from $157.95; Comfort Co. photo granite from $159.99. How we calculate.
- [5] A laser-etched portrait on a headstone costs about $500–$800, and a porcelain photo $200–$600. Memorials.com – Headstone Engraving Cost, 2026.
- [6] Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in New York charges $105 a year for plot maintenance, or $3,500 one time for perpetual care. VOA News – America's oldest pet cemetery, 2024.
- [7] Hartsdale's one-time perpetual care fee equals about 33 years of its annual maintenance fee. Our estimate: $3,500 / $105 per year. How we calculate.
Send us your stone plan for quotes
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.