Finding the right pet urn near Ankeny
By our estimate, about 28,500 households in Ankeny share their home with a dog or cat, and roughly 2,400 of those pets die each year. Many of their ashes come home needing an urn. Here's how to choose one well.
- Honest price ranges for Ankeny
- Indoor and outdoor options for your climate
- Scattering basics for Iowa
Ankeny, Iowa
Pet urns in Ankeny: the local picture
Ankeny households often include grown children living elsewhere in the Des Moines metro or across the country. Dividing ashes lets everyone keep something: a main urn at home, keepsake vials, or cremation jewelry for those far away. Nose prints, paw prints and snipped fur have to be arranged while your pet's body is still with the provider, so raise them on the first call.
Outdoor markers in Ankeny face months of frost and thaw. Cast concrete and resin chip and crack, while granite and bronze stay sound. Newer lots are often graded clay with little topsoil, so set a stone on a gravel bed to keep it level, and check where sprinklers and buried utility lines run before digging for a marker or tree. Call the free locate line first.
If you live near Ankeny but work or shop in Des Moines, it may be simpler to have the urn delivered there, or to choose one in person at a crematory or memorial supplier in the larger centre. That's especially true for heavy pieces like marble or granite. Just ask for the exact capacity in cubic inches before you drive anywhere, so you know it will fit the ashes you have.
With roughly 77,833 residents, Ankeny is the 5th-largest of the 27 Iowa communities we cover. Des Moines, roughly 10 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Ankeny run from there.
If you want to compare providers, look at Johnston (7 miles), Altoona (8 miles) and Des Moines (10 miles, a larger centre). Distance matters because pickup fees and the time until the ashes come back both grow with the drive.
Our estimate
28,500
Ankeny: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
77,833 ÷ 2.5 = 31,133 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 28,500. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
2,400
Ankeny families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
28,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,400 a year. A floor, not a ceiling.
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 numbers above come from Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, if you'd like to read the original sources.
Cremation customs in Iowa and your pet
Cremation is common but not universal in Iowa, where about 63.6%[5] of people are cremated. Pet crematories here usually sell a solid core range of urns rather than a huge catalog, so families who want something unusual, like a figurine or a marble urn, often buy online. The local range is still worth seeing first, since those urns are chosen to fit the ashes that crematory returns.
The Iowa percentage above is from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) and refers to human funerals. Treat it as context for Ankeny, not as a count of pets.
Heat, cold and damp: materials for Ankeny
Ice and snow in January, February, March, November and December can make the drive to a crematory or pet cemetery slow and unpredictable. If you're collecting the ashes, or dropping off an urn for the crematory to fill, pick a clear day and call ahead. Nothing is lost by waiting a week; the ashes are kept safely until you can get there.
Indoor heating matters as much as the cold outside. Forced-air vents and radiators dry the air, and a wooden urn placed right next to one can shrink, crack or open at the joints. Keep wooden urns a few feet from heat sources and out of the path of hot air. Metal, stone and ceramic don't mind dry air, which is one reason they're popular in cold places.
Pet urn and engraving prices for Ankeny
One US crematory network publishes its pet urn prices: wooden urns from $55–$290[6], with most around $98, ceramic urns $90–$290[7] and metal urns $96–$265[8]. Its marble urns cost $260 to $345[8], about three times the price of ceramic, a gap that shows up in national price guides too[9]. Expect Ankeny providers to be in the same territory.
The full price table by product is on our Iowa page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
What Iowa allows with pet ashes
Rules about pet ashes are about places, not containers. The urn you choose, whether it's engraved and how long you keep it are entirely your call. What follows for Iowa covers where scattering and burial are generally accepted, so you can plan any outdoor part of the memorial without worrying.
The official Iowa local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Ankeny.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Iowa level first; our Iowa rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Ankeny or your HOA adds anything.
How to get from ashes to urn
- Give yourself a week or two before choosing. The first days are rarely the best time for design decisions.
- Picture where the urn will sit, and take a tape measure to it: depth of shelf, clearance under a cupboard, room on the mantel.
- Estimate the ashes. Cremated remains weigh about 3-5% of body weight[11]; 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.
Remembering your pet, in Ankeny and beyond
In a young suburb where many families bought their first house with a yard, memorials often go outdoors: a flat stone near the patio, a shrub planted over a biodegradable urn, or a small plaque set in a garden border. Others keep things indoors with an urn, a framed paw print or a pendant. Nothing is lost by leaving the ashes in the provider's box until the family agrees.
use the free tools before you ring anyone, there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details, Our services overview lays out every option side by side, or compare your instinct with the poll results. More local pages: West Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Davenport, the Iowa 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.
How would you move the ashes from the temporary container into the urn?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Will your pet's ashes stay together or be shared?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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 Iowa?
For people, yes: about 63.6%[5] of Iowa deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Ankeny follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Where are the providers that serve Ankeny actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Des Moines, about 10 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Ankeny and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
How many pet owners live in Ankeny?
By our estimate, about 28,500 households in Ankeny have at least one dog or cat, and around 2,400 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 77,833, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Ankeny?
The closest communities we cover are Johnston (about 7 miles), Altoona (about 8 miles) and Des Moines (about 10 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Ankeny too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
How do I make sure the engraving is right?
Ask for a written or digital proof before anything is engraved, and check the spelling of your pet's name, the dates and any line breaks. Have someone else read it too. Engraving can't be undone. Our guide to engraving and photo urn lead times explains what to check at each step.
What size urn does my dog or cat need?
The usual rule is one cubic inch of urn space for every pound your pet weighed when healthy. By that rule, a 12 lb cat needs about 12 cubic inches and a 70 lb dog about 70[10]. Add about 10% for room to close the lid. The urn size calculator works it out for you.
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 Iowa's cremation rate at 63.6% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Final Gift, a pet cremation network serving the Northeast US, lists wooden pet urns from $55 (cedar scroll) to $290 (photo urn), with most around $98. Final Gift Pet Memorial Center – Memorial Products, 2026.
- [7] Final Gift's ceramic pet urns cost $90–$95 for figurine and paw designs and $255–$290 for vase urns. Final Gift Pet Memorial Center – Memorial Products, 2026.
- [8] Final Gift's metal pet urns cost $96–$265, and marble urns $260–$345. Final Gift Pet Memorial Center – Memorial Products, 2026.
- [9] Marble pet urns cost about 3 times ceramic ones, consistently across a price guide and a crematory price list. Our estimate: Memorials.com midpoints marble $190 / ceramic $60 = 3.2×; Final Gift marble $260 / ceramic figurine $90 = 2.9×. How we calculate.
- [10] 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.
- [11] 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.
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