Time moves faster for them
Write what you feel today, with them at your feet. Pick a date: two years out, five. You'll be glad you did.
The first thing you forget about an animal is their habits, not their face. A capsül keeps your words, and with a pack a photo, then emails them back on the date you choose. Below: what to note down, how to think about "later on" without making it a drama, and three messages.
Adoption day
Describe the first night. Read it back years later.
Their birthday
One message a year. An archive of their life.
A puppy photo
Add a photo. The contrast in five years will hit hard.
Later on
Keep the words for the day you'll want to remember them.
What should you write down about an animal?
Their quirks, with the precision of a police report. The time they start demanding food. The noise they make when they dream.
The chair they've claimed, which nobody dares take back. The daft nickname that replaced their real name after three weeks.
These details seem impossible to forget. They fade all the same, because you never tell anyone about them.
And "later on"?
You don't need to mention it, or pick a date because of it. Nobody knows how much time is left.
Choose a date that has nothing to do with it: the anniversary of their adoption, or any old day five years from now. If the message arrives after they've gone, it will reach someone who needs it. If it arrives before, you'll read it with them on your lap.
For free, the date can be up to 180 days away; a pack pushes the limit to ten years. To write without falling back on set phrases, this guide helps. And this article explains why people feel the need to keep these traces.
What do you write about them, without going soppy?
Facts. The feelings come through between the lines. Three messages, at three ages of the animal.
Gemma, Pickle arrived two weeks ago. He sleeps in his basket in the day and in your bed at night, and you've stopped pretending you won't let him. He's scared of the hairdryer and the postman, but not of next door's cat, which is three times his size. He ate one of Dad's shoes. Just the one. The other is waiting by the front door, just in case. Will you give him a belly rub from me? Gemma
Pepper is 3. She likes cheese and sleeping on my homework. If you're reading this, give her a cuddle. Even if you're a teenager now.
Bramble is 13. He still manages the stairs, stopping halfway to check I'm behind him. He doesn't chase the pigeons any more. He watches them. I don't know if he'll be here when you read this. I wanted someone to remember the halfway step. Martin
Common questions
How do you pay tribute to a pet?
By noting what only you know about them: their quirks and their nicknames. No need for big sentences. A few dated lines, read back a year later, keep their presence better than a long speech. You can attach a photo if you have a pack.
Can you add a photo of your pet?
Yes, once you've bought a pack. Prestige allows three images per capsül, the other packs one, and video isn't supported. Choose an ordinary photo rather than the best one: the one where they're asleep at an odd angle will say more in five years.
Who should the capsül go to?
Yourself, usually, or the children in the house. A child who writes about their dog at 9 will be touched to read it back at 14 or 15. Each recipient gets their own link on the chosen day, and can read it without creating an account.
How far ahead should you schedule the message?
Between one and five years, generally. On Capsül, the free tier is enough for a message six months out, such as the first anniversary of an adoption that happened six months ago. To aim further, you need a pack. The date is set to the day, and can't be changed afterwards.