The time it takes to complete an urn varies significantly…..it all depends upon how many urns and other wares are ordered and waiting to be fired.  The majority of the cost in making these is the energy cost to run the kiln.  So, all artists wait until they are able to completely fill the kiln before running it.  Thus, it could be 1 week or it could be months…which is why we tried to exaggerate by asking for 4 months (just in case of any unanticipated delays).  Our other memorial items hand painted or laser etched take much less time as they don't need to wait for a kiln firing, shipping after only 1-2 weeks typically.

Regarding the sizing:  In general, many memorial industry professionals have adopted the following – easy to remember – rule of thumb: For each pound a person weights you will need one cubic inch of urn space.

From a technical perspective this rule is not precise, but it generally produces a safe estimate of the size urn you will need. Memorial professionals often encourage following this rule when customers are shopping before the cremation ashes are available (if the cremation has not yet taken place, for example). Only on very rare occasions will the rule guide a customer to select an urn that is too small; if the estimate is in error, it will most likely be in the direction of being too large. And having too large an urn is, typically, not a significant concern for urn buyers.

Although the rule of thumb is usually safe to depend upon, experts are careful to note that, if a scientifically certain estimate is needed, the rule is not sufficient. This is because the amount of ashes usually depends on many other factors besides body weight. Those who need a precise answer to the question of urn size must wait until the ashes are available from the crematory. Once they are available, it can be determined much more precisely.

Using the above sizing "rule of thumb", we estimate generally the maximum dog weight to be contained within the urn is 80 pounds for our Laurette Richin Portrait urns.  Read below though to understand why this urn can even accomodate a dog over 150 lbs though.

What do most folks do with the ashes? Most folks though do not keep all of the ashes….they usually keep a small amount in an urn and/or pendant, and scatter the remaining ashes where the dog was happiest.   The latest trend seems to be scattering at dog parks, lakes, and burying the ashes outside with a headstone…..all the while keeping some of the dog’s ashes finely protected within this gorgeous keepsake memory urn.