I believe that our companion animals, or also in my case, my Service Dog, represent a reflection of our own Circle of Life.  As such, I think anyone should photograph their animal(s) for rememberences, but also if possible, should draw them.  Drawing their image, even if animals aren't a specialty for an artist, gives a fuller view of your own life.  My Miss Coco Bean is due for another portrait.  The oil pastel below is from 2011 or 2012.

It's best to take several photos to get the full view of the real shape of the animal's head or body, even if you then put your own "take" on that shape or make the image slightly abstract.  Coco is a dachshund / whippet - her mother was a full-bred dachshund, which can easily be seen in her face.  Her sire was a whippet, which is what her body looks like.  She is a one of a kind, and care is taken to make sure she doesn't end up with a portrait that looks like I stuck a dachshund head on a whippet.  I don't know where she gets the "Yoda" ears, but we love them.  Below are some photos of my other pets and their portraits:

Miss Sophie

Bugs Bunny - he always used to look at us sideways, watching everything we did.  He was one of my house rabbits.

Wilbur - my best buddie for a long time

Miss Moochie - once a stray, she wandered into our yard at the age of about 6 weeks, her stitches from being spayed falling out and dragging behind her - but I couldn't catch her.  She went on to claim our yard, chase the coyotes, literally, out of "her" yard, and when I was finally able to bring her in permanently, became the most loving couch potatoe ever.

Bailey - my son's dog

I did also do drawings of two other pets - Ceasar, my cat for 18 years, a pen drawing that I can't find (it would be over 30 years old), and Chico, one of my cockatiels - our best bud for many years, he traveled with us everywhere, including down to Virginia.

Ceasar

Chico, as a young bird

Without these guys, and the 50 or so other animals we have had over the years (fish, hamsters, parakeets, cockatiels, canaries, lovebirds, more rabbits) and of course Bailey, my son's dog, I would not have developed as an artist as I did - whether I was drawing them or not.  These are the animals from my adult life, I have not included those from my childhood, such as Polly, a beagle given to me when I was two by my grandmother, and who lived to be 16, and I was 18. Suzette and Cherie, our two poodles, Pumpkin the black lab, my brother's fish, Tom and Jerry, our two Weimeraners,.....

A fuller view of life indeed.