Our pets are part of the family, so when they die, it’s only natural that we may feel similar levels of grief to when a human loved one dies. Unlike with people, though, we typically have far fewer (if any) rituals to honor our late furry friends — but an annual tradition in Los Angeles is creating that opportunity.
Called the Beloved Pets Ofrenda, the event is held at the LA Zoo and invites participants to create a tribute for their departed pets. “Ofrendas,” meaning “offerings” in Spanish, are an important part of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, an annual Mexican holiday that takes place Nov. 1-2. Traditionally, deceased family members are celebrated during this time, but each year starting in early October, the Pets Ofrenda welcomes visitors who want to pay their respects to the animals they’ve lost.
“No matter your background, grief surrounding the loss of a pet is a universal feeling,” Coral Barreiro, community program manager at the LA Zoo, said in a 2024 news release. Speaking to the pet parenting app Kinship, she added: “With Los Angeles having the largest population of Mexicans living outside of Mexico, [the ofrendas are] important not only because of representation, but also because seeing other Angelenos participate, no matter their background, gives a feeling of appreciation and acceptance.”
Here’s how it works: During staffed hours on Saturdays and Sundays, visitors can use the zoo’s supplies to draw pictures of their pets or print photos from their phones to place in complimentary frames. Once they’ve decorated their frames with the available art supplies, they can add their pictures to the altar — and make use of nearby tissues when emotions inevitably rise. And while the assisted activity is only available on the weekends, the ofrenda is open for people to pay their respects or contribute their own items during all public zoo hours.
Dogs and cats take up their fair share of the pets honored, but Barreiro told LAist that a plethora of fish and a fig beetle have also been among the 1,000 or so photos that are placed on the altar. Now in its fifth year, the Pets Ofrenda “has been one of the most successful community programs that we have run at the LA Zoo,” she said to Kinship. “Empathy for wildlife is what we want to nurture at the zoo, and I truly believe that empathy for living things begins at home with our furry, scaly, or feathery family members.”
Barreiro was inspired to start the celebration in 2019, after her beloved 13-year-old Yorkie, Vegas, died. At first, she made an ofrenda in her office at the zoo and encouraged her coworkers to participate — but “it was so well-received that we had to make it bigger, adjust it, and make room for all the contributions,” she said.
Then in 2020, the zoo began collaborating with the nonprofit cultural center Plaza de la Raza, which has hosted a Día de los Muertos event nearly every year since its inception. “In any family who loves their pets, animals are a part of the family and our lives, so an altar to remember them with more joy than sorrow, at least at this time of the year and in this way, is fitting and healing,” Maria Jimenez Torres, executive director for the center, said in a 2022 news release.
Can’t make it to LA this year? Folks across the country are creating their own pet ofrendas at home — here’s a quick guide to building yours.
RELATED: Love Animals But Can’t Adopt? Take Shelter Pets on a Field Trip
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