Choosing a pet urn in Ghent
Most families in Ghent bring the ashes home in a plain box first and choose an urn later. Here's what to look for, what it usually costs and how to move the ashes across.
- Wood, ceramic, marble and brass compared
- Tips for moving ashes safely
- Ideas for apartments and houses
Ghent, Flanders
Where families in Ghent find their urns
The Ghent area is famous for growing begonias and azaleas, and a flowering plant is a natural memorial here, whether a pot on the windowsill or a shrub in the garden with ashes worked into the soil. Handmade urns, engraved stones and glass pieces also suit this creative university city. Remember that paw prints and fur clippings have to be requested before the cremation takes place.
The Leie and Scheldt, the quays of the Graslei and Korenlei, Citadelpark and the lakes at Blaarmeersen are places many Ghent owners shared with their animals. Scattering in public places is governed by local rules, so ask the city before you do it. Plenty of families keep the urn at home and keep only a tiny portion in a pendant to carry to that favorite spot.
Families in Ghent are often spread across a few towns or states, which makes sharing ashes a practical question as much as an emotional one. A matching set of small keepsake urns lets a sibling in another city or a grown child who's moved away keep a portion. Decide how many shares you need before choosing the main urn, because every share you set aside changes the size it needs to be.
Ghent is home to about 262,000 people, the 2nd-largest of the 2 Flanders communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Antwerp, about 32 miles (51 km) away, which is where some providers serving Ghent are based.
Ghent sits within easy reach of Brussels (31 miles, a larger centre) and Antwerp (32 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Ghent; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
67.98%[1]
In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria).
$20–$100[2]
Memorials.com puts ceramic pet urns at $20–$100.
$30–$150[3]
Memorials.com puts wooden pet urns at $30–$150.
3-5% of body weight[4]
Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight.
The published sources behind those figures are Memorials.com and Embrace Pet Insurance.
How Belgium thinks about cremation and urns
Roughly 67.98%[1] of people in Belgium are cremated, and the share has been rising for years. As cremation grows, so does the habit of keeping ashes at home. In national research on human cremation, 37%[5] of Americans said they would keep cremated remains at home in an urn. Many pet owners feel the same pull to keep a companion close.
The Belgium figure comes from Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Keeping an urn safe through Ghent's seasons
Local weather also affects deliveries. Storms, extreme heat and holiday rushes can all add days to an urn's journey, and fragile ceramic or glass travels best in mild weather. If a date matters, order early and ask the seller for the making time and shipping time separately. Your provider in Ghent can tell you what they'd recommend at this time of year.
How much to budget for an urn
Prices for pet urns in Belgium vary by maker and material, and we don't yet have a local source we can cite. Rather than an invented range, here's a useful rule from published lists elsewhere: engraving on a mid-priced wooden urn can add about a third to its price[6], so always ask whether the price quoted in Ghent includes personalization.
We keep the detailed Flanders price table on one page so it stays current: see Flanders prices.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Rules worth knowing before you scatter or bury
There are no rules about which urn you use or how long the ashes stay in their temporary container. Where local rules do apply is burial and scattering. As a general guide, private land with the owner's permission is simplest; parks, beaches and waterways often have their own rules, and some ask you to request permission first.
What to do first, and what can wait
- Give yourself a week or two, then choose; design decisions come more easily once the earliest days have passed.
- Picture where the urn will sit, then measure the space: shelf depth, height under a cabinet, width on a mantelpiece.
- Estimate the ashes. Cremated remains weigh about 3-5% of body weight[4]; the ashes weight estimator gives a quick figure.
- Decide on personalization: name and dates, a photo, a paw print or nothing at all.
- Order the main urn and any keepsakes together so the finishes match.
- Transfer the ashes over a tray, windows shut and no draft, and only if the bag really won't pass through the opening.
- Keep the crematory's certificate or label with the urn, tucked underneath or in a drawer nearby.
Keepsakes, displays and living memorials
Ghent's old town has little garden space, and many families choose a memorial that sits indoors: a compact urn on a bookshelf, a framed paw print by the window, or jewelry holding a pinch of ashes. Families in suburbs such as Sint-Martens-Latem or Merelbeke with more garden room sometimes add a stone or plant a tree. Decide where the memorial will live before choosing its size and material.
or look at how readers voted in our polls, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, See what each option includes on our services page, run the numbers with the free planning tools. If you live between Ghent and Antwerp, either page applies. Every other community in Flanders, and all of Belgium, is listed too.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
Where does (or will) your pet's urn live?
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If you were choosing your pet's urn today, which material would you pick?
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If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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Free tools to help you plan
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Urn size calculator
Find the urn volume you need from your pet's weight, plus keepsake and sharing options.
Ashes sharing planner
Split ashes fairly between family members, keepsake urns and jewelry.
Questions people ask
How do Belgium attitudes to cremation compare?
Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023) puts the Belgium human cremation rate at about 67.98%[1]. We show it on the Ghent page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Ghent?
Usually yes. Brussels is about 31 miles away and Antwerp is about 32 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Where are the providers that serve Ghent actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Antwerp, about 32 miles away. That is normal for a city this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Ghent and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Do I have to buy an urn right away?
No. After a private cremation, the ashes come back in a sealed temporary container, usually a bag inside a box or tin, and they're safe in it indefinitely. Many families in Ghent wait a few weeks, or even months, before choosing an urn. Waiting often leads to a better choice, because the first days after a loss aren't the easiest time for design decisions.
Where in the house should a pet urn go?
A shelf in a room you use daily, shaded from strong sunlight, with no radiator, heater or steamy kitchen or bathroom close by. Put it high enough that pets and small children can't knock it down, on a surface that doesn't wobble. Many families choose a spot they pass every day; others prefer somewhere private, like a bedroom. Either is right if it feels right to you.
Can I take my pet's urn on a plane?
Usually yes, in your hand luggage, but the container needs to pass through airport X-ray screening. Dense metal or stone urns can be hard to screen, and in the US, security officers won't open a container of remains. Wood or a sturdy plastic temporary container is the safest choice for travel. Check your airline's rules too, especially for international flights.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria). Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023, 2023.
- [2] Memorials.com puts ceramic pet urns at $20–$100. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [3] Memorials.com puts wooden pet urns at $30–$150. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [4] Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [5] In NFDA's 2025 consumer research, 37% said they would keep cremated remains at home in an urn, and 33.5% would scatter them. Cremation.Green summary of NFDA 2025 Cremation & Burial Report, 2025.
- [6] Name-and-dates engraving adds about 36% to the price of a mid-priced wooden pet urn. Our estimate: midpoint engraving $32.50 ($25–$40) / midpoint wood urn $90 ($30–$150). How we calculate.
- [7] At a $50 average, engraving is about half the price of a typical $98 wooden pet urn from a crematory catalog. Our estimate: $50 (average engraving) / $98 (Final Gift typical wood urn). How we calculate.
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