Hello, this is Miasa from Japan.
Today I’d like to talk about making a pet album.
Some people find it difficult to even look at photos of their pet when it has just passed away.
In times like these, don’t push yourself and take it easy.
But looking at photos and making photo albums of my pets, I find it oddly comforting.
Some of our customers have even organized their pet photos into albums, and we often recommend this to other customers.
How to make a pet album
We now live in an age where taking photos with a mobile phone, smartphone, or digital camera is the norm. However, before that, there were only film cameras, and photos were printed at a photo shop and organized into albums.
Do you still have your pet’s photo albums stored on your smartphone, memory card, or computer?
You can certainly view them anytime and they will never fade. That’s why I choose to have them printed at a photo shop.
Then, a good thing happens.
Pet photos that you can actually hold in your hands
Do you remember the excitement you felt when you received your photos when they were printed? You may have forgotten. That’s what I did too.
When I had my photos printed and received them, I realized for the first time that printed photos can be so moving.
It was a completely different experience from a photo on a smartphone. It felt like the photo had come out of the smartphone.
Although my pet won’t come back, I can actually touch it, and it has sparked my creativity in many different ways, such as displaying it in my room, keeping it in my wallet, or even buying a photo frame.
The presence of pets that transcends time
When I received the photo as a tangible object, I felt like my beloved dog had come back to me through time. It reminded me of the time when the photo was taken, and more than anything, it was a joy to be reunited with my beloved dog.
I now have a cat, so I’d like to print out as many as I can.
You’ll feel like you’re having a conversation
Please add a comment to the photo if possible.
Add a few words to the photo, such as “My favorite walking route!” or “I’m so happy after eating a delicious snack!”. It’s also good to add a speech bubble so that your pet can make the comment sound like they’re talking.
Doing so makes me feel like I’m having a conversation with my pet. I felt soothed at that moment, and I thought I could continue to be with my pet.
Please feel free to add comments to the photos.
Digital devices will eventually break down
It’s something that’s surprisingly easy to forget, but even if you think that the data on your smartphone or computer can be stored forever, the hard disk can be damaged.
Have you ever had the experience of your smartphone breaking and you had to change models, only to be unable to retrieve your photo data?
Have you ever had an old cell phone that you left uncharged for years and now won’t turn on?
Computers will eventually break down, and data stored on CD-Rs and other media may become unreadable.
However, printed photos can be viewed for years to come by opening an album.
Even if it fades a little or gets torn occasionally, you will still love it.
Reasons why we recommend making an album
For some reason, I feel very relaxed when I’m making an album.
Arranging the photos on the table and thinking about in what order to put them in the album makes me feel as if I am with my deceased pet.
Looking at old photos reminds me of things from that time, and when I come across photos that I had forgotten, it makes me feel refreshed.
And the biggest reason why I recommend making an album is that it makes you feel like you are having a conversation with your pet in heaven. What that means is that some people may want to apologize for being late in taking their pet to the hospital. Others may want to apologize for being annoyed that their pet made a mess of their room. You can feel like you are saying “I’m sorry” and “Thank you” directly to them.
Some people may feel different. You may discover something new. Some people say that they found something they had lost in an old photo. Then they found something they cherished. Maybe it was their pet in heaven telling them.
In this way, I sometimes feel like I’m having a conversation with my pets.
I would recommend it to other customers
Customers who have lost a pet sometimes come to me for advice or ask me to listen to their story. They are in so much pain that they can’t move forward. At times like that, I sometimes recommend making an album. When I tell them that other customers have made albums, it seems to give them some peace of mind knowing that there are other people out there who are going through the same grief, and sometimes they even take a photo of a page from the finished album and send it to me by email.
We sometimes receive emails from customers expressing how happy they were when they received their photos printed at a photo shop. They say, “I thought it was just a photo, but it brought me more joy than I expected.”
Why not try printing out the photos of your pets that you have saved on your computer or smartphone? Then create an album.
Back to [Pet Loss Recovery Stories]
Customer testimonials
It arrived today.
When I opened the box and my eyes met with Shio, tears came to my eyes. I’ve been struggling
to overcome the loss of my pet every day, but since I discovered Miasa’s work, I’ve been looking at photos of Shio that I wasn’t able to see, and struggling to decide which one to choose, and I think I’ve gradually become more positive.
From today, I’m going to have her by my bedside every night.
Thank you so much for your heartwarming work.
I’m knitting yarn and making goods for my pets, while listening to everyone’s concerns.
I hope this work will be a source of support to everyone.
I knew about Vanderwan when he was alive, but I was unsure about making this.
From choosing the photos to completing the project, I was troubled by many things, and Miasa-san gave me advice and kind words at each step, so I’m really grateful.
I think choosing a photo together can be a shortcut to overcoming the loss of a pet.