Pet urns and keepsakes in Urbandale
By our count, roughly 1,500 Urbandale families say goodbye to a dog or cat each year. This is a plain guide to the urn that comes next: size, material, cost and delivery.
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Urbandale, Iowa
Buying an urn locally or online in Urbandale
Cold is the main enemy of outdoor memorials in central Iowa. Water seeps into porous stone, freezes, and splits it; resin fades and cracks. Granite and bronze shrug it off for decades. Newer lots on the west side often have compacted clay and sprinkler lines just under the turf, so find out where they run before digging. Setting a marker flush with the lawn keeps it clear of mower blades.
Some Urbandale families hold on to ashes for months before deciding, which is completely fine. When they do decide, they often split them: one urn for the house, a small portion for a garden, and keepsake jewelry for a grown child. If you'd like a clay paw impression or a lock of fur, say so at the start, since it has to be taken beforehand.
Families in and around Urbandale often have land, which makes burying the ashes, or part of them, a natural choice. You can bury ashes in almost any container, but a biodegradable urn returns to the soil, while a sealed wooden box or a metal urn lasts much longer. If there's any chance the land will be sold, think about keeping a portion indoors in a keepsake so you're not leaving everything behind.
With roughly 48,570 residents, Urbandale is the 12th-largest of the 27 Iowa communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Des Moines, about 9 miles (14 km) away, which is where some providers serving Urbandale are based.
Urbandale sits within easy reach of Clive (2 miles), Johnston (5 miles) and West Des Moines (6 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Urbandale; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
18,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Urbandale
How we calculated this
48,570 ÷ 2.5 = 19,428 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 18,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
1,500
dog and cat deaths per year in Urbandale, our estimate
How we calculated this
18,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,500 a year. Treat it as a minimum.
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.
Sources for the statistics above: Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Cremation customs in Iowa and your pet
Local families are split between two traditions: cremation accounts for roughly 63.6%[5] of deaths in Iowa, and burial for much of the rest. A pet urn sits comfortably in either. People who lean towards burial often choose a sturdy urn they can later place in the ground or a pet cemetery; those who lean towards cremation usually keep it on display.
The Iowa figure comes from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Keeping an urn safe through Urbandale's seasons
Scattering in snow is possible but rarely what families picture. Grey ashes stand out on white snow and melt into slush, and a cold wind makes it hard to take your time. Many people in Urbandale keep the ashes at home through January, February, March, November and December and scatter in spring, on a favorite walk or by open water. A scattering tube or a small keepsake urn keeps a portion ready until the day comes.
Urbandale winters bring average lows at or below freezing in January, February, March, November and December. If you'd like to bury your pet's ashes in the garden, frozen ground may mean waiting until spring. That's fine: the ashes are safe indoors in the temporary container or the urn, and many families find a spring burial, with the first flowers coming up, a gentler moment than a cold graveside in January.
What families in Urbandale typically pay for an urn
Engraving is usually the add-on that surprises people. Simple name-only engraving on a pet urn typically adds $15–$25[6], a photo engraving $40–$100[7] and a paw print or symbol $20–$35[8] (per one large retailer). On a mid-priced wooden urn, name-and-dates engraving can add about 36% to the price[9]. The table below shows typical US ranges, so you can compare Urbandale quotes like for like.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Iowa overview; for what's included in each option, see our services.
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 Iowa
Most families never need to think about rules at all: the urn stays at home, and that's allowed everywhere. If you'd like to scatter or bury some of the ashes in or around Urbandale, a quick check with the landowner or the park authority avoids awkward moments. Here's a summary for Iowa.
The official Iowa local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Urbandale.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Iowa level first; our Iowa rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Urbandale or your HOA adds anything.
Step by step in Urbandale
- Ask what came with the cremation. Many packages include a basic urn, and some let you upgrade for the difference.
- Check how the ashes came back. Usually it's a closed bag sitting in a tin or cardboard box; measure that first, since any urn has to hold it.
- Shortlist two or three urns whose listing gives a real volume figure in cubic inches or litres rather than a vague size word.
- Ask each seller for making time and shipping time separately, as both figures count when you have a day in mind.
- Unpack the urn the day it arrives, so any chip or dent gets reported without delay.
- Place it out of direct sun and away from heaters, on a stable surface at a height pets and children can't reach.
Remembering your pet, in Urbandale and beyond
Urbandale's older ranch-house neighborhoods have mature trees and deep backyards, and many memorials end up there: a flat stone under a maple, a small statue by the garden bench, a biodegradable urn buried beneath a new shrub. It suits the unhurried feel of those older streets. Families in townhouses tend to prefer something indoors, like an urn on a shelf, a framed print or a piece of jewelry.
For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, use the free tools before you ring anyone, or see what other families chose in the poll results, read our guides and latest articles. Close to Urbandale we also cover Cedar Rapids, Ankeny, Sioux City and Des Moines; the full list for Iowa and for the United States is a click away.
Reader polls
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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
Does the Urbandale climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 86°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February, March, November and December, when lows sit below freezing, a home burial may have to wait for a thaw, so cremation with ashes returned keeps your options open.
Where are the providers that serve Urbandale actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Des Moines, about 9 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Urbandale and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Roughly how many pets die in Urbandale each year?
Our estimate is around 1,500. It comes from Urbandale's population (about 48,570), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 18,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Urbandale?
Usually yes. Clive is about 2 miles away, Johnston is about 5 miles away and West Des Moines is about 6 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
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.
Can I keep a ceramic urn outside through a Urbandale winter?
It's risky. Water that seeps into unglazed ceramic or porous stone expands when it freezes and can crack the urn, and Urbandale sees freezing lows in January, February, March, November and December. For outdoor memorials, choose granite, sealed stone or outdoor-rated metal, or bring the urn indoors for the coldest months.
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] Simple name-only engraving on a pet urn typically adds $15–$25; name plus dates adds $25–$40. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [7] Photo engraving on a pet urn typically adds $40–$100, and a full epitaph $50–$100. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [8] Adding an engraved paw print or symbol to a pet urn typically costs $20–$35. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [9] 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.
- [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.
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