Pet urns in Edmonds: sizes, costs and engraving
Edmonds has an estimated 15,500 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.
- No rush: ashes are safe as they are
- Written proofs before engraving
- Help splitting ashes fairly
Edmonds, Washington
What choosing an urn is like in Edmonds
Edmonds has a long-standing arts culture, with galleries, an annual arts festival and public sculpture downtown. That shows in how some families remember animals: commissioned portraits, handmade ceramic urns or glass keepsakes with ashes set inside. If you're working with an artist, confirm they handle cremated remains before ordering. Custom pieces can take weeks or months to complete, so a plain temporary box is perfectly fine while you wait. There's no need to decide quickly.
Many Edmonds residents are retirees or long-time homeowners, and some prefer one simple, dignified urn on a shelf beside photos. Others divide ashes so adult children in other cities can each keep a small portion. Mention any split before cremation so the provider can prepare separate containers. Label each container clearly with a name and dates. Some families also slip a short written note inside the box, so that years later the story stays with the ashes wherever they end up.
Small towns are good places to find makers who don't advertise online. The woodworker who sells at the farmers' market, the potter whose mugs are in the café, a jeweller who engraves: any of them may be willing to make or personalize an urn if you ask. It might take longer than a click-and-ship order, but you'll know the person who made it, and so will your neighbors.
About 42,748 people live in Edmonds, which makes it the 28th-largest of the 67 Washington communities we cover. Seattle, roughly 14 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Edmonds run from there.
Our pages for Lynnwood (3 miles), Mountlake Terrace (3 miles) and Shoreline (4 miles) describe the same choices from those towns' point of view, and the providers overlap, so a quote from one often covers Edmonds as well.
Our estimate
15,500
Edmonds: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
42,748 ÷ 2.5 = 17,099 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 15,500. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
1,300
Estimated dog and cat losses in Edmonds each year
How we calculated this
15,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,300 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.
The published sources behind those figures are Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Cremation customs in Washington and your pet
With roughly 79.1%[5] of people in Washington cremated, the question locally isn't whether to keep ashes but how. That's where urn choice comes in. Many people here have inherited a relative's urn and have strong opinions about what they'd do differently: a smaller size, a lid that screws shut, a material that doesn't show dust. Those lessons apply just as well to a pet.
That Washington rate is a human one, published by Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024). We quote it for Edmonds only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Indoor and outdoor urns in Edmonds's climate
If you live near the coast, salt air is a bigger enemy than temperature. Raw brass and some metals darken quickly within sight of the sea, and outdoor metal can pit. Lacquered brass, powder-coated metal, glazed ceramic and stone all cope well. For a garden memorial in Edmonds, granite or a sealed stone urn will look the same in ten years as it does now.
Gentle weather makes an outdoor urn in Edmonds a real option rather than a gamble. Some families keep a weatherproof urn in a sheltered corner of the garden or on a covered porch where they sit in the evenings. Choose a lid that seals with a gasket or a screw thread, and stand the urn on a paving slab so moisture from the soil can't wick into it.
Urn prices by material, and what adds to them
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 Edmonds quotes like for like.
The full price table by product is on our Washington 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.
Pet ashes and the law in Washington
Keeping a small share of the ashes in jewelry or a keepsake raises no legal questions at all. Rules matter only if you plan to post ashes, carry them abroad or leave them somewhere other people also use. For any travel, keep the crematory's certificate with the ashes. Here's what applies in Washington.
The official Washington local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Edmonds.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Washington level first; our Washington rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Edmonds or your HOA adds anything.
Choosing and filling the urn, step by step
- Ask the crematory for its urn catalog before the appointment, so the choice isn't made at a front desk afterwards.
- 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, then add a small margin so the bag goes in without forcing.
- 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; for a delivery, make sure someone is in to accept the parcel.
Keepsakes, displays and living memorials
Salt air, rain and shade from tall trees wear down outdoor memorials. For a garden bed, choose granite, slate or bronze and avoid painted plaster. A biodegradable urn planted with a native shrub or small tree is another quiet option for a private yard, and it asks nothing further of you once it's in the ground. Set it somewhere you'll see from a favorite window.
try the free planning tools, look through our guides and the blog, Our services overview lays out every option side by side, or compare your instinct with the poll results. If you live between Edmonds and Seattle, Bellevue, Vancouver and Kent, either page applies. Every other community in Washington, and all of the United States, 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?
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
How do Washington attitudes to cremation compare?
Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024) puts the Washington human cremation rate at about 79.1%[5]. We show it on the Edmonds 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.
Does the Edmonds climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In August, with highs near 77°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. Winters here are mild enough that burial or scattering is possible in any month.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Edmonds?
The closest communities we cover are Lynnwood (about 3 miles), Mountlake Terrace (about 3 miles) and Shoreline (about 4 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Edmonds too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is Edmonds big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 15,500 Edmonds households keep a dog or cat and around 1,300 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 42,748), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
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 bury my pet's urn in my yard in Washington?
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.
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] Washington had a 79.1% cremation rate in 2024, among the highest in the US. Direct Cremate (citing CANA), 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] 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.
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