An urn for your pet, in London
Most families in London 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.
- Honest price ranges for London
- Indoor and outdoor options for your climate
- Scattering basics for Ontario
London, Ontario
Choosing a pet urn in London
London's reputation as the Forest City makes tree memorials a natural choice. A biodegradable urn under a young maple or oak, or a memorial shrub in the garden, fits a city known for its canopy. Renters can plant in a large pot and take the memorial with them. A winter loss simply means waiting to plant until the April thaw, with the ashes kept safe indoors.
The Thames River runs through the heart of London, and many families connect their pets' memory with Springbank Park and the riverside paths. Scattering near moving water works most gently from the bank on a calm day, and some families keep a small amount at home too. Check city park rules, and ask permission before using private land. Autumn, when the city's trees turn, is a popular time for a small ceremony.
In a place the size of London, you'll usually find one or two pet crematories and a handful of vet clinics that return ashes, each with a small range of urns. That covers the basics well: wooden boxes, ceramic jars and a few metal designs. For marble, sculpted figurines or photo urns, most families here order online or look to a larger centre such as Hamilton, where specialist makers are more common.
With roughly 422,000 residents, London is the 6th-largest of the 15 Ontario communities we cover. Hamilton, roughly 72 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover London run from there.
For a second opinion on price, Guelph (63 miles), Hamilton (72 miles) and Burlington (77 miles) are close enough that their providers cover London routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
81.1%[1]
CANA projects the Canadian cremation rate will reach 81.1% by 2030.
$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.
Where these figures come from: Embrace Pet Insurance and Memorials.com.
Cremation customs in Canada and your pet
Cremation is the usual choice in Canada: about 81.1%[1] of people there are cremated. When cremation is this familiar, keeping ashes at home isn't unusual, and most people have seen an urn on a relative's shelf. That tends to carry over to pets. Families here rarely feel they need to explain why their dog's or cat's ashes live in the living room, and local crematories are used to selling urns alongside the cremation.
That Canada rate is a human one, published by CANA Industry Statistical Information (2030). We quote it for London only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Heat, cold and damp: materials for London
If you'd like an outdoor memorial in London and aren't sure how the seasons will treat it, pick the least fussy option: bury the ashes in a biodegradable urn and mark the place with a flat stone. There's nothing above ground to fade, crack or blow over, and you can add plants around it as you learn how that spot behaves through the year.
What pet urns cost in London
In London, as across Canada, the simplest route is often the crematory's own range: ceramic from CA$43–$70[5], brass from CA$99–$128[6] at one BC provider. Small keepsakes aren't always cheaper. The same crematory prices a 1 oz heart keepsake at CA$106[7], more than its full-size solid wood urn at CA$79[7]. Compare keepsake sets rather than single pieces.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Ontario: Ontario costs. What each service includes is on the services page.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Scattering and burial rules in Ontario
If you rent in London, burying an urn in the yard needs your landlord's agreement, and homeowners' associations can have their own rules. Scattering on public land is usually tolerated when done discreetly, but it isn't always permitted. The notes below cover the basics for Ontario; your city or county has the final word.
In Canada, many pet crematories publish their urn prices in Canadian dollars, which makes comparison easier. Ordering from a US website can add duties, brokerage fees and delays, and a broken ceramic urn is hard to return across the border. Winter weather can also slow deliveries, so order engraved urns early if you're planning a spring burial or scattering.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Ontario level first; our Ontario rules summary has the detail. Then check whether London or your HOA adds anything.
Step by step in London
- Bring the ashes home as they are. That interim box is closed and secure; they can stay in it as long as you like.
- Weigh up how many people want a share. A partner, a child away at college, a parent in another state: decide before buying anything.
- Work out the capacity you need. The rule of thumb is one cubic inch for every pound your pet weighed when well; the urn size calculator does the sum for you.
- Choose the material for the room it will live in. A warm room suits wood, a colorful one ceramic; brass fits a narrow shelf and stone lasts longest.
- Approve a written proof of any engraving, and check the spelling of your pet's name twice.
- Move the ashes in their sealed bag without opening it, or have the crematory place them in the urn on your behalf.
Sharing a pet's memory across the family
Canada has a high cremation rate, and in London keeping ashes at home feels natural to many families. For a pet, that could be a carved wooden box, a glass keepsake, a paw print in clay, or a necklace holding a few ashes. Freeze-thaw cycles crack cheap outdoor markers, so if you choose one for the garden, granite or slate is worth the extra cost.
the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, read our guides and latest articles, or look at how readers voted in our polls, Our services overview lays out every option side by side. If you live between London and Ottawa, Hamilton, Mississauga and Brampton, either page applies. Every other community in Ontario, and all of Canada, 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.
If you were choosing your pet's urn today, which material would you pick?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Will your pet's ashes stay together or be shared?
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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
Is cremation common in Canada?
For people, yes: about 81.1%[1] of Canada deaths end in cremation, according to CANA Industry Statistical Information (2030). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in London follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Will I have to travel to Hamilton to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Hamilton (roughly 72 miles from London) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from London?
Usually yes. Guelph is about 63 miles away, Hamilton is about 72 miles away and Burlington is about 77 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
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.
Can I bury my pet's urn in my yard in Ontario?
Burying ashes on land you own is generally allowed, and it's much simpler than burying a body. If you rent, ask your landlord; if you're in a homeowners' association, check its rules. A biodegradable urn returns to the soil; a sealed wooden or metal urn lasts much longer. If you might move, consider keeping a small portion indoors in a keepsake.
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.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] CANA projects the Canadian cremation rate will reach 81.1% by 2030. CANA Industry Statistical Information, 2030.
- [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] Okanagan Pet Cremation's ceramic ginger-jar pet urns cost CA$43–$70, from petite (under 15 lb) to large (50–120 lb). Okanagan Pet Cremation – Urns, 2026.
- [6] Brass pet urns at Okanagan Pet Cremation cost CA$99 (up to 50 lb) or CA$128 (50–100 lb); slate paw urns cost CA$99–$140. Okanagan Pet Cremation – Urns, 2026.
- [7] A 1 oz heart keepsake urn costs CA$106 at Okanagan Pet Cremation, more than its full-size solid wood urn at CA$79. Okanagan Pet Cremation – Urns, 2026.
- [8] 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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