When you lose a beloved pet, it can almost be like losing one of the family. Many of use develop a close relationship with our pet, enjoying the unconditional love they always show us, even when we've had a bad day and snapped at them. So if you've been lucky enough to have a special pet in your life, it's a great idea to use a pet urn as a treasured memento of their life.

You can arrange to have your dog, cat or any other pet cremated, and then place their ashes in a pet urn as a treasured keepsake. Pet urns are available in a huge variety of styles, with different shapes, colors and sizes. Probably the best place to begin is to decide how much you can afford to pay for a pet urn. Then you'll be able to stick to looking at urns you can afford, without getting carried away. The cheapest urns are usually the simpler, more basic urns, and the more decoration and personalized touches you add, the more expensive they get. If your budget is limited, you can always get a simple pet urn and then use other mementoes, such as a collar, to make it special.

It's also a good idea to think about what you want to do with the urn. Many people bury them in the yard and plant a memorial tree. In that case, a simple urn is sufficient. However if you plan to put the pet urn on display, then it might be best to choose a more elaborate design to help make it attractive to look at.

If you've decided you want to get a more decorative pet urn, there are plenty of varieties to choose from. You can choose a vase-shaped urn decorated with carving, right through to a life-sized replica of your pet. Perhaps you could choose a pet urn with space to put some photos of your pet, or a burial urn that you can bury in the garden that comes with a marker for placing in the ground above the urn. You can even get pet urns shaped like rocks or garden ornaments if you want to place the urn in your garden, but don't want to bury it in case you move house.

Most people also like to personalize their pet urn in some way. It's quite common for pet urns to have a brass plate attached, that you can remove easily for engraving. Some urns can also be laser engraved, and others incorporate slots that can be used for inserting photos. Even if the pet urn is fairly basic, you can still place special items around the urn to form a display of your loved pet's life. Pet urns are available from a variety of places, including veterinary clinics and pet crematoriums.

You may find that a crematorium has a more extensive range, and they can handle the whole process for you. It's never easy to say goodbye to a good friend, but choosing a pet urn can be a special way to keep your pet's memory alive forever.

Steve Dolan loves all of his animals and holds their memories dear. As a funeral advisor he understands the unique requirements of planning and memoralizing a lost one. Find out more by clicking on Funeral Urns and Pet Urns.