An urn for your pet, in Savannah
Savannah has an estimated 55,000 dog- or cat-owning households. When a pet's ashes come home, the urn is often the last thing chosen and the thing kept longest. Here's how to get it right.
- Wood, ceramic, marble and brass compared
- Tips for moving ashes safely
- Ideas for apartments and houses
Savannah, Georgia
What choosing an urn is like in Savannah
Savannah has a deep tradition of memorial beauty, and many families want something lasting for a pet too. In a historic district townhouse or apartment, a small urn, a paw print impression or a piece of cremation jewelry suits the space. Families with courtyards or yards on Southside or the islands may prefer an engraved stone set among plants. Think about whether you might move before choosing anything heavy.
Live oaks, Spanish moss, tidal marshes and the beach at Tybee give many Savannah families a picture of where they'd like a pet remembered. If you're thinking of scattering ashes in the water or on public land, check the rules first. A biodegradable urn planted with a native tree in your own yard is another option, and humidity-tolerant plants do well here.
Pet owners around Savannah often find the vet clinic is the easiest place to see a few urns in person. Many clinics keep a small sample shelf from the crematory they use, so you can check a lid, feel the weight and compare two finishes side by side. Ask at the front desk; the samples are often kept in a back room rather than on show.
Savannah's population is around 149,440, the 5th-largest of the 68 Georgia communities we cover.
Savannah sits within easy reach of Pooler (10 miles), Port Wentworth (10 miles) and Bluffton (13 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Savannah; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
55,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Savannah
How we calculated this
149,440 ÷ 2.5 = 59,776 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 55,000. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
4,600
Savannah families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
55,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 4,600 a year. The real figure is unlikely to be lower.
53%[1]
53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households.
12.69 years[2]
US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years.
39%[3]
39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households.
11.18 years[4]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
The published sources behind those figures are American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Why urns are common in Georgia
The cremation rate in Georgia sits at about 54.2%[5]. Where habits are mixed like this, it's common for one person in a household to want the ashes on a shelf and another to feel uneasy about it. A closed wooden box that doesn't look like an urn, or a keepsake kept in a drawer, is a fair compromise while everyone gets used to the idea.
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) is where the Georgia figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Savannah tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Indoor and outdoor urns in Savannah's climate
For an outdoor memorial in Savannah's heat, choose stone, granite or a metal rated for outdoor use and place it in partial shade. Dark granite gets hot to the touch in July but won't be damaged. If you're planting a tree with a biodegradable urn, avoid planting at the height of summer: young trees struggle in June, July, August and September, and a cooler season gives the roots time to settle.
Don't leave an urn, or the temporary container of ashes, in a parked car in a Savannah summer. The ashes won't change, but glued photo frames, resin and some finishes can warp at the temperatures a closed car reaches. It's also simply a hard thing to come back to. Bring the ashes straight inside when you collect them, and keep the urn out of direct sun once it's home.
Urn prices by material, and what adds to them
Keepsakes are cheaper than you might think, and the sets are cheaper still. Keepsake or mini pet urns typically cost $15–$60[6] (per one large retailer); one widely cited figure puts a single keepsake at about $28 and a set of six at about $115[7]. Watch out for tiny premium pieces, though: at one crematory, a 1 oz heart keepsake cost about a third more than its full-size wooden urn[8].
The Georgia price table breaks costs down by product; our services page explains what sits behind each line.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Before you scatter or bury in Georgia
Water is the place families ask about most. Scattering on a lake, a river or the sea feels natural to many people, but local authorities and park managers can have their own requirements, and some ask that only water-soluble urns are used. The general notes for Georgia follow; whoever manages that stretch of water has the final say.
Georgia keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Savannah.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Georgia level first; our Georgia rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Savannah or your HOA adds anything.
Choosing and filling the urn, step by step
- Ask the crematory for its urn catalog before the appointment, rather than being handed it at reception when you're least able to think.
- Choose while your pet is still with you, should that feel bearable; some people find deciding calmly beforehand kinder.
- Size the urn from their weight at their best, and allow a little room so the sealed bag slides in easily.
- Tell the crematory which urn you've picked so the ashes can be transferred into it before you collect them.
- Leave the engraving until the dates are final. A plate can be fixed to the urn a week or two later.
- Plan who will collect the urn, or who will be home to sign for it if it's delivered.
Sharing a pet's memory across the family
The coastal climate is hard on outdoor memorials, with salt air, humidity, heavy rain and hurricane winds. Granite and other sealed stone stand up well; some metals and resins corrode or fade. If you're not sure, keep ashes indoors in a simple container and choose a permanent memorial later, once you've had time to think about what fits. Ask for a written price that includes engraving.
See what each option includes on our services page, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, read our guides and latest articles, or compare your instinct with the poll results. More local pages: Augusta, South Fulton, Atlanta and Macon, the Georgia overview and every city in the United States.
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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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
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Savannah?
There is no frozen-ground season here; average lows stay above freezing all year. The other pressure point is July, when highs around 92°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Roughly how many pets die in Savannah each year?
Our estimate is around 4,600. It comes from Savannah's population (about 149,440), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 55,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Why does the Savannah page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) reports about 54.2%[5] of Georgia residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Savannah?
Usually yes. Pooler is about 10 miles away, Port Wentworth is about 10 miles away and Bluffton is about 13 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
How much does a pet urn cost in Savannah?
National price guides put ceramic pet urns at $20–$100[10], wooden ones at $30–$150[11] and marble or stone at $80–$300[12]. Keepsakes cost less, at $15–$60[6] (per one large retailer). Savannah prices usually fall inside those ranges; engraving and delivery add to the total, so ask for a written price for the finished urn.
Is it cheaper to buy a pet urn locally or online?
Online prices often look lower, but shipping, engraving and the risk of a breakage can close the gap. A crematory's counter price is convenient and the urn is sized to the ashes. Compare the total delivered price of the exact urn you want, engraved, rather than headline prices. The memorial budget planner helps you add it up.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [2] US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [3] 39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [4] US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [5] The NFDA projected Georgia's cremation rate at 54.2% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Keepsake or mini pet urns cost about $15–$60, versus $25–$100 for small and $40–$200 for medium urns (Memorials.com). Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [7] A single keepsake urn costs around $28 and a set of six around $115, per U.S. Funerals Online figures cited by Funeral.com. Funeral.com – How Much Do Cremation Urns Cost in 2025, 2025.
- [8] A 1 oz keepsake urn can cost about a third more than a full-size wooden urn at the same crematory. Our estimate: CA$106 heart keepsake / CA$79 solid wood urn. How we calculate.
- [9] Using the industry rule of thumb of 1 cubic inch of urn space per pound of body weight, a 12 lb cat needs an urn of about 12 cubic inches; a 70 lb dog needs about 70 cubic inches. Our estimate: urn cu in = body weight lb x 1 (industry rule of thumb, not a measured value). How we calculate.
- [10] Memorials.com puts ceramic pet urns at $20–$100. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [11] Memorials.com puts wooden pet urns at $30–$150. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [12] Memorials.com puts marble and stone pet urns at $80–$300. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
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