Choosing a pet urn in Howard
By our estimate, about 8,200 households in Howard share their home with a dog or cat, and roughly 680 of those pets die each year. Many of their ashes come home needing an urn. Here's how to choose one well.
- No rush: ashes are safe as they are
- Written proofs before engraving
- Help splitting ashes fairly
Howard, Wisconsin
Pet urns in Howard: the local picture
Anything left outdoors in Howard has to handle heavy snow, bitter wind off the bay and a drawn-out freeze-thaw season. Granite, bronze and kiln-fired stoneware hold up; resin statues and softwood signs don't. If you'd like a garden marker, set it flush with the lawn so snowblowers glide over it, and plant any memorial tree once the soil has warmed in May.
Howard skews toward young families in houses built this century, and memorials here often balance meaning with practical space: a compact ceramic urn for the bookcase, a clay paw impression framed for the hallway, or a stepping stone set among the backyard perennials. A ring or necklace with a hollow chamber for ashes lets a parent or teenager keep a companion near during the workday or at school.
In a smaller place like Howard, the urn usually comes from one of two places: the crematory your vet uses, often somewhere around Howard, or an online seller. The crematory's range may be small, but the pieces are chosen to fit the ashes they return. If you'd like to see the options, ask the vet for a printed catalog or photos rather than choosing a name from a list.
Howard is home to about 22,233 people, the 38th-largest of the 50 Wisconsin communities we cover.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Green Bay (5 miles, a larger centre), De Pere (10 miles) and Kaukauna (22 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
8,200
How many dog- or cat-owning households Howard has (estimate)
How we calculated this
22,233 ÷ 2.5 = 8,893 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 8,200. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
680
Howard families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
8,200 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 680 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.
We built the this numbers from American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
Keeping ashes at home: the local attitude
With roughly 70.7%[5] of people in Wisconsin 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.
Source for the Wisconsin number: NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Howard, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
Keeping an urn safe through Howard'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 Howard 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.
Cold months are a good time for indoor decisions. The 5 months with freezing lows are when many Howard families settle on the urn, order engraving and plan a spring planting or scattering. Doing the choosing indoors in winter means that when the ground thaws, everything is ready, and the day itself can be about your pet rather than errands.
What families in Howard typically pay for an urn
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].
We keep the detailed Wisconsin price table on one page so it stays current: see Wisconsin prices.
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 Wisconsin
There are no rules about which urn you use or how long the ashes stay in their temporary container. Where local rules do apply is burial and scattering. As a general guide, private land with the owner's permission is simplest; parks, beaches and waterways often have their own rules, and some ask you to request permission first.
To find your county or city office in Wisconsin, start with the official Wisconsin local government directory.
The rules that apply across Wisconsin (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our Wisconsin page. Howard may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
From temporary container to urn
- Tell your child the ashes are coming home, describing them beforehand: a closed bag inside an ordinary tin or box.
- Let them help choose, offering a shortlist of two or three that you've already vetted for capacity and cost.
- Offer a small keepsake of their own to keep in their bedroom, with the main urn living somewhere the whole family uses.
- Invite them to add something, perhaps a picture they drew or a few words, slipped beneath the urn.
- Pick a lid that screws or locks shut, above all where a young child could reach the urn.
- Mark the day the urn arrives with a moment together, such as lighting a candle or telling a favorite story.
Remembering your pet, in Howard and beyond
Northeast Wisconsin families tend to live near one another, with siblings and grandparents often a short drive from Howard, and dividing ashes lets several homes hold a share. Some choose one central urn and two or three small vessels; others prefer a set of matching pendants. Arrange the split with the provider ahead of cremation so everything is returned at the same time.
Compare every option on our services page, try the free planning tools, read our guides and latest articles, or see how other readers answered in our polls. If you live between Howard and Appleton, Milwaukee, Kenosha and Madison, either page applies. Every other community in Wisconsin, 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.
Where does (or will) your pet's urn live?
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
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Howard?
January, February, March, November and December: average lows are below freezing then, and frozen ground makes a home grave slow or impossible until it thaws. The other pressure point is July, when highs around 81°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Howard?
Usually yes. Green Bay is about 5 miles away, De Pere is about 10 miles away and Kaukauna is about 22 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
How many pet owners live in Howard?
By our estimate, about 8,200 households in Howard have at least one dog or cat, and around 680 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 22,233, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Why does the Howard 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 70.7%[5] of Wisconsin residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Is there free support if I'm struggling after my pet's death?
Yes. Several US veterinary schools run free pet loss helplines. Tufts University's helpline is free[10] and volunteer-staffed on weekday evenings, with voicemail at other times, and Cornell's hotline is staffed by veterinary students trained by grief counselors. Talking to someone can make practical choices, like the urn, feel less heavy.
Can I bury my pet's urn in my yard in Wisconsin?
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] The NFDA projected Wisconsin's cremation rate at 70.7% 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] 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.
- [10] Tufts University's Pet Loss Support Helpline (508-839-7966) is free and volunteer-staffed, 6–9 pm ET Monday to Thursday, with 24-hour voicemail. Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 2026.
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