‘RIP.ie for pets’ Former garda launches online memorial website for departed pets

A former Cork city garda, Mick Hanly, has launched a website to act as an 'RIP.ie' for animals, as he wants to support Irish pet owners struggling with pet loss.  

Rest Easy Friend allows its members to post online tributes to their pets through a digital memorial space that allows sharing photos, stories, and videos. 

It also gives animal lovers the opportunity to connect and provide support during the difficult grieving process by sharing comforting messages on the memorials. 

Users can post memorials for their departed pets for an annual fee of €25. 

It also features a dedicated comfort and guidance page, that includes information on pet loss for children. 

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Hanley's inspiration for the site arose when he saw how much people relied on RIP.ie during the Covid-19 lockdowns and wondered why there was not an equivalent for people grieving the loss of their pets. 

Searching at the time and not seeing any such websites, he didn't go forward with the website as he thought someone else would do "something, sometime." 

However, when he again searched for such website last year, and the domain was not taken, he decided to move forward with his idea. 

Choosing the domain name, Hanley was inspired by the expression 'rest easy friend' that people use when referencing the death of a pet. 

Aiming to give people an "online platform to share stories of their pets" he told RTÉ's Oliver Callan, that lots of his friends have "felt very isolated" and that "they couldn't really share their emotions and grief." 

He has explained that: "For a lot of these people, their pets are their only family. There are people out there who their pets are their best friends." 

The memorial website is not just for dogs and cats, with tributes also being uploaded for goldfish and goats among other animals. 

Hanley stressed the importance of this saying: "You can't dictate what a pet is. A pet can be anything to anybody. These are people's best friends." 

Hanley sees the animals he has lost over the years, including a cat, hamster, several dogs and a goldfish, as "bookmarks in my life. I can think back on every different animal and say that was when I was that age." 

On the importance of the website, he explained: "Our culture doesn't always permit people to grieve for animals the way we do for humans. Rest Easy Friend was created to change that, to honour the deep bond we have with our pets." 

The website states that in times of grief, Rest Easy Friend offers more than just a memorial. It offers understanding, dignity, and a lasting way to say: You were loved, and you will be remembered.

Tributes and messages of comfort can be posted to Rest Easy Friend at Rest Easy Friend | Create a Pet Memorial | Support After Pet Loss.