Ceramics blog
2023 – Custom Pet Urns and Memorials
Dec
Custom Pet Urns are one of the things that I do all year long because when your grief needs a cozy place to rest is rarely something you can plan. I create and sculpt custom pet urns for animals of all sizes and shapes. I mostly did cat urns and dog urns in 2023 but I also sculpted urns for bunnies. The colors and inscriptions are up to the family as I got a lot of choices available and we can take some time to discuss things.
Custom Memorial Dog Urn
I did two custom memorial urns for dogs in 2023. One is a lovely sable corgi and her owner picked this perfect match of a dark green glaze I particularly love. This piece was accompanied by a custom tumbler with her little corgi portrait painted on it.
In 2023 I also had to say goodbye to my first corgi, so this whole body of work has resonated a lot more than usual.
When making a custom pet urn, I always love to read about the pet, dog, cat, bunny or any other pet you have. Their story helps sculpting and painting them more accurately as I always think about them while creating the piece.
The second Memorial Dog Urn I did took a bit longer than usual because it was for a larger breed and I had to up my wheel throwing game for her. I used the same glaze because Olive was named Olive and it was just perfectly fitting.
Custom Memorial Cat Urns
I did 8 custom cat urns this year, here they are. Each color scheme is discussed with the family, as well as decor and pose of the cat. There are many possibilities and I always really love my customer’s ideas as they recount the loving moments they had. I can always tell how much a cat was loved and got to be a real part of a family. A custom urn makes a pretty resting place for a cat’s ashes as well as a symbol of the love and relationship that are still there.
Bunny Memorial Urn
That’s it for the Custom Pet Urns of 2023. I’m always hesitant to write about the animals and families stories in this case so you’ll forgive me for the very general information, I did not want to share each story in too much details out of respect for all of my customer’s grief.
As you can see this is mostly a labor of love and not an industrial operation, I work with each customer individually and we often exchange a few e-mails before, during and after the urn is made.
I love reading each and every message that is sent to me though – I will often get emotional while reading them – and losing my beloved first dog this year has given this work a new depth. We humans grow through loss and grief, this is where our resilience and empathy is built.
How to order a custom pet urn ?
I like to make this process the easiest possible in this very hard time. Some people will contact me immediately, some in advance, before their pet is even old or sick, and some take a few months to gather their thoughts before considering a custom pet urn. So wherever you are in this process, there is absolutely no rule about timing.
Once you decide to get an urn made, you can pre-order an custom pet urn and then send me an e-mail with pictures and details about your dog, cat, bunny or any other pet you might have. I will consider all animals. I will often ask for the volume of ashes you have and/or the weight of your animal in order to make a fitting vessel.
Turnaround time for custom pet urns
Depending on when you send me all your information, I usually take about 3 months to create an urn. I make sure the urn is large enough and will send pictures to check in with you when it is ready.
How do I store the ashes in my custom pet urn ?
I recommend keeping the ashes in a sealed container (plastic ziploc or similar) in order to avoid accidents in case the urn falls and breaks (Yes, I’m looking at the cats in the room ^^). Porcelain urns are not sealed but one could seal them with epoxy resin if needed. However I still would use a sealed bag inside, just in case.
More questions about custom pet urns ?
Feel free to ask me about urns and read about the commission process here. Urns are always available for pre-orders here.
If you’re curious, I made a whole video of the throwing and sculpting process for the bunny urn.
More Commissioned Pieces
All of the other 2023 commissions are listed here :