How to Choose the Perfect Pictures for Your Pet's Cremation Urn

The loss of a pet is heartbreaking. Our animal companions become part of the family, and their loss is felt by everyone.

Cremation has quickly become the standard for pet owners to lay their companions to rest, and urns help them keep their pets’ memories alive. But how do you choose the perfect pictures for a pet’s cremation urn? Here are some important things to consider.

What to Consider When Choosing Photos for Pet Cremation Urns

When choosing photos for a pet’s cremation urn, there are several factors to keep in mind:

Choose a High-Quality Photo

Most importantly, the photo should be of high quality. You want your pet to be remembered in a beautiful way. Pixelated, blurry or poor-quality photos won’t be a great option.

The photo doesn’t have to be photographer-level quality, but it should be clear and in focus. We at GetUrns have a full service graphic design team who can help enhance and beautify your photo for quality printing or engraving. 

Consider the Photo’s Lighting

Photos taken in low lighting won’t be ideal. Look for pictures taken in natural light or, better yet, at golden hour (the first hour after sunrise or the last hour before sunset).

Depending on the quality and content of the photo, you may be able to adjust the lighting with a photo editing tool to make it a better fit for the cremation urn.

Choose a Photo That Exudes Your Pet’s Personality

The best photos for a pet’s cremation urn are ones that exude their personality. These could be photos of your pet:

• Playing in the yard
• Lounging in the sun
• Swimming in the lake
• Out on the trail
• Snuggling with their favorite toy
• Dressed in their best attire

Choose a picture that will bring up fond memories of your companion and their unique personality.

Consider Photos with Family Members

When choosing your photo, consider ones that include other family members. A photo of your pet with your grandchild would be a heartwarming choice, or it could be a picture of your pet at a family party having fun.

Photos with family members will help keep the pet’s memory alive and ensure everyone looks back on these moments fondly.

Consider the Urn’s Size and Shape

Pet urns may feature round or rectangular photos. Consider the size and shape of the urn and where the photo will be placed. You want to ensure that you’ll see your pet’s face clearly. 

A personalized photo frame is also a great way to show the memory of the beloved companion with a favorite photo. If you are a family member or friend that wants to give a meaningful gift such as our Custom Engraved Photo Frame in Alder Wood.

Common picture frame urn sizes are:

• 4 x 6
• 5 x 7
• 3 x 5

If you’re struggling to find a photo of the perfect size, you can use a photo editing tool to crop a photo to the appropriate size or to put greater focus on your pet.

Other Ways to Honor Your Pet

Pet cremation urns are not the only way that you can honor your pet. A loyal companion deserves to be remembered. You have a lot of unique options for honoring your lost pet, including:

Pet Cremation Jewelry

You can keep your pet close to you at all times with jewelry. Cats and dogs have the most options for this type of remembrance, and you can fill these trinkets with any animal’s ashes and keep them close to you.

We have a wide range of options to choose from, but some of the most popular include:

• Pendants
• Beads
• Bracelets

Fashionable and beautiful, these jewelry pieces are ideal for pets of all species. Our Sterling Silver cremation feather is a universal option that comes with a 20” necklace that fits most pet parents. Or if you are looking for a more specific options you can choose Leaning Heart Paw Sterling Silver Pendant

On the back of the pendant is a small screw that you can open and fill the chamber with a pinch of ashes from your pet.

You'll receive a filling kit to gently place a small amount of your pet’s ashes inside the item without losing any along the way. If you want to keep your pet close to you after their passing, just like they were in life, jewelry is a fantastic option.

Memorial Service

Pet owners understand the deep bond that others have with their animals. Losing a pet is akin to losing a friend who was with you day and night. Sending off a good boy or girl with a memorial service is a beautiful idea.

You'll also need a ton of great photos to hang or place around the memorial.

What is a pet memorial service?

It is, in essence, a funeral for your pet. You're holding a sort of remembrance where you:

• Share kind words about the pet
• Honor the lost pet
• Pay tribute to the pet

Families that lose a pet they have had for years will often hold a memorial service that just includes people in the immediate family. You can also hold your own celebration of life if you feel self-conscious about having a memorial service.

Your pet, in most cases, was a loyal companion that showed you love and compassion during its life.

Memorials allow you to say “thank you” to your pet for the amazing life that you shared together.

If you don’t feel like a memorial is the right choice for you, consider a garden stone.

Garden Stone

Sometimes, having a pet with you is about keeping each other company. You'll find many of these stones placed in gardens. You can have a stone placed among the flowers or on the path where you used to walk together.

You'll find stones can be engraved and may include:

• Etched photo of your pet
• Date of birth and death year
• Poem
• Pet’s name (or the numerous variations of nicknames given)
• This can be as personal as you wish

A garden stone is a nice way to remember your lost pet and will be something that you can walk by frequently. Your pet should never be forgotten, and a garden stone is one way to remember them and will put a smile on your face when you’re feeling down.

Plant a Tree

You can plant a tree in the US National Forest or on your own property in honor of the pet. Trees are known for their longevity and can be planted anywhere on your property. If you have a cat, perhaps you can plant the same type of tree as the one they first climbed.

Many pet parents will also scatter ashes around the tree or bury a small amount with the seed.

The idea is that the ashes will help the tree grow and a small part of the animal will be within the tree.

Many national forests do have options to plant a tree, so this is another great option if you’re worried that someone may one day remove the tree from your property.

Pet Tattoo

Tattoos to memorialize pets are rapidly growing in popularity. If you have a paw print from your pet, this is one of the most common options. People will place their animal’s paw print and the pet’s name above it.

You'll also find advanced tattoo artists who will take a picture of your pet and create a very realistic tattoo from it.

Life-like or caricature tattoos are both good options and can be as small or large as you wish. The more life-like the tattoo, the more you can expect to spend on it. For this option, it is highly recommended that you do your research amongst artists and speak with a local tattoo shop in your area to discuss your options.

In some cases, the pet’s ashes may be able to be used in the ink, allowing you to keep your pet with you forever. However, there are restrictions in place when using ashes, and availability will vary greatly from one state or location to another.

Tealight Candle Urn

One beautiful way to memorialize your pet is in the ability to store anything that means something special for their rememberance. Our Pet Tealight Cremation Urns can sit aside a photo frame along with all of their special items, such as their:

• Collar
• Favorite toy
• A paw print keepsake
• Bandana
• Lock of fur
• If able, some people will have the actual bones of their pets

Custom Glass Art with Your Pet’s Ashes

Some local artists create glass art that incorporates cremains. You can commission a custom glass sculpture that includes your pet’s ashes or even a memorial ornament.

A glass sculpture or ornament is a lovely way to honor your pet, and you can display it proudly in your home.

A Blanket or Stuffed Animal

A blanket or stuffed animal that’s made in honor of your pet will bring some comfort. These are items that you can hold whenever you’re missing your companion.

If your pet had a favorite blanket, you could incorporate it into your memorial blanket. Adding photos of your pet will make it special.

Many companies offer memorial blankets. Simply upload your pet’s photo and choose your favorite design.

You can also have a stuffed animal made in your pet’s likeness to keep their memory alive. You can hug and snuggle with the stuffed animal whenever you are missing your pet. This is a great option for younger members of the family like children.

These are both wonderful ways to keep your companion close.

Choosing the perfect pet picture for pet cremation urns is challenging. You want to remember the pet that you lost while they were still in good health and filled with life. If you have pictures of the animal as a baby or one of them with their favorite toy or doing something that they loved, these are often the best photos to choose.