Pet Cremation Urns

If you want to keep your pet’s ashes, and maybe place the urn on a shelf of your home, there are plenty of options available to you in cremation urns. There are a wide variety of standard types of urns available. You can get a nice glass urn, a stone urn, wood urn or some type of metal – brass and pewter are particularly popular. Many of the popular pet cremation urns are in a ‘classic shape.’ But some pet cremation urn companies are being creative with their designs.

Stone cremation urns have the virtue of being very decorative, durable and solid; several of these beautiful and heavy urns come with very detailed workmanship. Marble is particularly popular for pet cremation urns, but other stones such as sandstone and even synthetic stone are commonly used. The benefit of synthetic materials is that they generally can be easily shaped and changed. Resin pet cremation urns can be manufactured in a mold and made into any statue or design you want. For information on these types of urns for ashes visit In the Light Urns.

Colored glass urns are very popular as well; they have the virtue of being light-weight. Also, as the glass is colored, it brings a new ambiance to the life of your pet. The wooden pet cremation urns generally have squared edges, and often have places for pictures or other mementos to be mounted. This type of decoration on pet cremation urns is becoming more popular. It is a more affordable method of customizing an urn.

One of the newest popular urns is the Tennis Ball Pet Urn. If you had a dog that loved to chase a ball, it’s the perfect pet urn for you. And with this Tennis Ball Urn, a ball is included, so you have the option to use a ball your pet chased or use the one included. The metal pet urns – generally brass or pewter, are usually in the classic urn shape, but you can also get them as a figurine, a dog house, animal-shaped or in the form of St. Francis – he was the patron saint of pets. One key plus to cremation urns made of metal is that they do not break. While resin urns, glass urns, and others are lovely, they are fragile. This is another factor to consider when selecting a pet urn.

Ask yourself – “What do I need a pet cremation urn for?” Do I want to be able to transport the cremains – if so you may want to consider a biodegradable urn or a travel urn (often paper based). Do I want to keep my pets ashes – you may want a stronger urn made from wood, brass or pewter. Do I want to keep all the cremains – perhaps you want to keep some of the ashes and scatter the rest. In this case a keepsake rather than a full size urn, would suit best.

Generally, the pets in question are dogs and cats, as they are the most popular; so the pet cremation urns are small. But, if your beloved animal is a horse (or some other large scale animal), the pet urn may have to be quite large. In this case, wood tends to be the most advisable, as it will save on weight. While a large glass urn can be light as well, there is the danger of breakage.

One of the more original types of pet urns around today is known as the “rest easy” variety. The urn is designed to look like a pet bed, and is quite decorative and pretty. The bedding can be removed and washed, as needed, thus allowing you to keep the urn looking nice for years to come. There are also teddy bear urns, which are built along similar lines. A small canister inside the plush teddy bear holds the ashes. As with the “rest easy” variety, in the event you need to wash the teddy bear, you can remove the canister, toss the teddy bear in the washing machine, and then put the canister back inside after the body has completely dried out. In 2007 Teddy Bear Urns were being custom made with the clothing or blankets that the lost pet used. The main creator of these urns has stopped and there are few of these custom urns made today.

Ceramic pet urns, while solid like stone, have the virtue of variety of shapes. You can put your cat’s ashes in a ceramic pet urn that’s shaped like a ball of yarn, or your dog in a dog treat-shaped urn. Many of these urns come in keepsake urn size. Many of these keepsakes come in a lovely box within which to store the urn. The heart-shaped variety is particularly popular, and looks wonderful in any home. Some people love the idea of keeping their beloved pet around, but not necessarily on display, the keepsake pet urn can work best in that situation.

Depending on what sort of pet you had, there are simple cremation urns that are just square or round, or you can get ones that are very decorative. Some people might find a fire hydrant-shaped cremation urn for a dog to be in bad taste; others might love it. For a horse, perhaps the bust of a horse might best suit your needs.

There are also cremation urns that have a place for a picture, a small case to keep a favorite toy, collar, a lock of fur, old license or some other memento you want to cherish. There are lovely square (or multiple-sided) cremation urns that allow you to put several pictures on display. Some urns even rotate like a lazy Susan; thus allowing the pictures to be viewed without having to pick them up (as some people really don’t like to do that).

You can also get a custom cremation urn created out of wood, glass, metal (brass etc), ceramic, plastic, and even stone. Prices for custom urns are quite reasonable. This is your time to get creative with your custom urn. Several urns have been made specifically for a custom and your can be too. It is best to contact companies directly for this type of purchase, so they can advise you as to possible ideas and what will work best for you budget and design.

Biodegradable Urns

If you decide to bury your pet, you may consider one of a variety of biodegradable urns. After all, these days more and more people are concerned about the environment; biodegradable urns allow you to lay your pet’s ashes to rest without polluting. Biodegradable urns are very competitively priced and great care has been taken in their creation. You can also elect to choose a pet casket. Several biodegradable pet caskets are available at Pets to Rest.

Scattering Urns and Scattering Memorials

If you elect to scatter your pet’s ashes – perhaps over a favorite park, yard or play area, you can get a scattering urn that allows you to easily disperse the ashes. Also, the urn can be biodegradable, thus allowing you to cast it away along with the ashes. Many of the scattering pet cremation urns that you keep have a place to put a photograph or other memento of your pet; thus allowing you to further memorialize you old friend. There are even pet cemeteries that have places specifically set aside for the scattering of ashes, and then you can arrange for a scattering memorial to be placed there. These are generally small stone or metal plaques that are set into the ground or a wreath of flowers. Some scattering memorials are very personal and draw a connection between your pet and their final resting place.

Pet Memorials

There are also pet memorials – sort of like a pet headstone, but they have the virtue of being movable. Some people worry that, if they move to another home someday, what will happen to their dear pet’s remains? These are what are known as garden memorial pet urns. These are large urns, generally nearly flat, and they pretty much look like a flat grave marker. You can have your pet’s name, years of life and even a brief message engraved into it, and then you just place it out in your garden or yard. Then if you ever move, it is a simple matter to pick up the urn and take it with you to your new home. This is an excellent compromise, if members of your family disagree as whether you should have the ashes in your house or buried.

Continue reading about memorial jewelry.