Should you keep your pet’s ashes?

Small and large breed dogs

The loss of your pet is a really difficult time and it’s sometimes hard to make all the decisions required when you are dealing with your own and often your families grief. Following cremation of a deceased pet there are many options available to you. These decisions are so important but are also very personal and need to be tailored around what’s best for you and those that also loved your pet.

The process of cremation and what you choose to do with the remains afterwards can help with the grieving process. It’s important to make decisions based on what’s right for you; financial constraints, personal beliefs and access to resources all have a factor in this process.

Often the loss of a pet is a shock and takes time to come to terms with this. The physical act of organising and making decisions about what to do with your pets remains gives an element of control in an awful situation.

You have the option to keep, bury, scatter or decide not to have the ashes returned to you at all.

If you decide to keep your pet’s ashes there are several options available to you. The ashes will need to be stored in a capsule suitable for permanent storage. This ensures that they are protected against any accidental damage. Often people keep ashes in the cardboard scatter tube that we use as standard. This is fine for temporary storage whilst you decide what to do with your pet’s ashes but over time the cardboard will decay and there is always the possibility of damage.

If your wish is to keep your pet’s ashes at home we would recommend either a traditional wooden Pet casket or urn. We supply wooden caskets in either a Mahogany or Natural Wood finish complete with an engraved brass plaque on top. The caskets are traditional in style and purpose. The ashes are secured inside and can be stored safely for many years to come.
If the traditional casket is not for you and you would like to store your pet’s ashes in something more discrete, we have the perfect solution for this. At first glance these Pet urns appear to be an attractive ornament to be displayed in the home. They look modern and stylish and are made of quality heavy materials. A favourite of ours is the Odyssey Urn which is available in slate or pewter effect finish.

Another unobtrusive option is the Tribute photo frames. These appear to be a good quality attractive photo frame which can be wall mounted or standing, however they have a compartment behind the frame to store ashes. This makes them bulkier than a normal frame but they retain an attractiveness and quality which our clients are happy to display in the home.

If a client would like something that perfectly reflects the essence of their pet but retains a quality and attractiveness, then the figurine urns maybe the best option. The figurine urn is cat urn, pet urn or dog urn which appears to be made of antique cast but are actually made of resin. This means they are durable and of great quality. These figurine urns are hollow to allow the storage of ashes inside. They are carefully cast from artists sculptures of different pets. Contact us to see if we can supply a figurine urn of your breed or type of pet. The Pug figurine urn is a favourite of ours and has room inside for the storage of two sets of ashes. Perfect if you want two playmate to stay together after they have both passed. These urns are of a great quality and again do not look out of place inside the home but can also be kept outside in a shaded area.

If you are fortunate enough to have space to bury your pet’s ashes then we would recommend the Unity Earth urns. These urns are made from paper derived from the Mulberry Tree. This is harvested in a sustainable way and is perfect for burying ashes as it biodegrades easily and without causing harm. Your pet’s ashes would be placed in a water soluble bag inside of the urn and then you are able to carry out your own goodbye at home. Please make sure you have permission before you bury your pet’s ashes. There are restrictions on the burial of ashes adjacent to water sources and sites of ecological importance. Please check before digging any big holes.

As part of our service, we return pet’s ashes in a bluebell wood scatter tube that is designed to contain ashes temporarily ready for scattering. Some people choose to scatter the ashes in The Wild Wood and erect a memorial plaque there. This gives them a tangible place to visit and remember their beloved pet. Others choose to scatter ashes in their favourite place or garden at home.

An option which is becoming more popular is to place a pet’s ashes into a living Urn. This allows the ashes to be utilised to grow a tree or plant. The system that we use is called Bios Urn. A pet’s ashes are alkaline and therefore if planted straight into a pot or the garden they would more than likely stop most plants or trees growing due to the imbalance of PH in the soil. The Bios Urn balances this out to healthy growth from your pet’s ashes. This is a lovely way to allow your pets to live on. The Bios Urn can be placed in the garden or a large container. This is my favourite option and it’s really special to see life coming from the memories of your beloved pet.

Some people have dealt with the grief of losing their pet and they don’t feel the need to have their pet’s remains returned to them. This is absolutely fine. In this instance, we at The Wild Wood Pet Cremations and memorial woodland, would always scatter the pet’s remains in The Wild Wood. We keep a record of all ashes scattered there and this ensures that in the future if the pet parent decides they would like to visit to remember their pet they can.

If you would like more information of what to do with your pet’s ashes, please get in touch.

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