What to Do With Your Pet's Ashes: 12 Gentle Ideas (Canada)

There's no wrong choice and no deadline. Most people keep their pet's ashes at home, bury them or plant something with them, scatter them in a place their pet loved, or keep a small amount in a keepsake. Before you bury or scatter, check with your municipality, and ask the owner if it isn't your land.

If you're still in the first hours after your pet died, start with what to do when your pet dies at home in Québec. This guide is for later, once the ashes are home.

First: did you get the ashes back?

It depends on the type of cremation. In a communal (group) cremation, several animals are cremated together and the ashes aren't returned. The SPA de Québec, for example, says its euthanasia service includes a group cremation without return of ashes.

In a private (individual) cremation, your pet is cremated alone and you get the ashes back, usually in a simple box or urn. Some Québec services, like Aquanimaux, also offer aquamation (a water-based process) in private or communal form.

If you're not sure which one you chose, call the clinic or the crematorium. They can tell you.

Keep them close at home

1. Leave them in their box, for now

You don't have to decide anything this month, or this year. The box from the crematorium is fine on a shelf or in a closet until you know what feels right.

2. Choose an urn

Crematoriums and veterinary clinics usually offer urns in wood, ceramic or metal, often with room for a name or a photo. Pick one that fits the place where it will live, not the one that looks the most formal.

3. Make a small memory corner

Put the urn with a photo, their collar and a candle or a plant. Some people also set a small figurine of their pet beside it. Chibiyo makes chibi-style memorial figurines from a photo; note that the figurine is solid and doesn't hold ashes, so it goes next to the urn, not in place of it.

4. Share a little with family

Small keepsake urns let you split the ashes, so a child who moved out or a partner in another home can keep a part. Ask the crematorium whether they offer small keepsake urns or can divide the ashes for you.

Wear or hold a small part

5. Cremation jewellery

Pendants, rings or bracelets with a tiny chamber hold a pinch of ashes. Some crematoriums even offer a keepsake jewel instead of an urn with a private cremation. Ask how the piece is sealed if you plan to wear it every day.

6. Glass or art pieces

Some artists fuse a small amount of ashes into glass: a paperweight, a heart, a marble. Ask how much ashes they need and whether they send back what isn't used.

Return them to the earth

7. Bury them in your yard

If you own your home, a small burial in a favourite spot can feel right. Rules about burying an animal's body aren't clear-cut: the City of Montréal's website says that in Québec the law forbids burying an animal in your yard, while other Québec sources and the Ontario Veterinary College say to check your local bylaws. Those rules talk about a body, not ashes, but call your municipality first so you're at peace with it. If you might move one day, consider a planter or a spot you can take with you.

8. Plant a tree or a perennial

A tree, a shrub or a hardy perennial that survives our winters makes a living tribute. Biodegradable urns made for planting exist too.

9. Scatter them somewhere they loved

A trail, a beach, a cottage, the yard where they played. On private land, ask the owner. In a park, check the park's rules first; national, provincial and municipal parks each have their own. Jasper National Park, for example, needs no permit but asks you to stay about 30 metres from trails, roads, campgrounds and facilities. Pick a calm day and check the wind direction before you open the urn.

10. A water ceremony

Some families scatter ashes on a lake or river, or use a water-soluble urn that slowly dissolves. Rules for waterways aren't the same everywhere: Jasper National Park, for instance, asks people not to scatter ashes within 30 metres of a lake or river, except a trace amount, because minerals can change the water. Ask your municipality or the authority that manages the lake.

A place to visit

11. A pet cemetery

Some pet cemeteries can bury the urn and add a marker. Compagnons Éternels, which runs a pet cemetery in the Ottawa area, lists an urn burial with an engraved granite marker at $795 (price seen in October 2026). It costs more than keeping the urn at home, but it gives you a place to visit that won't change if you move. Your crematorium can tell you if there's one near you.

12. A memory box

Keep a small amount of ashes in a sealed container inside a box with their collar, a paw print, a lock of fur and a few photos. You can open it when you want to, and close it when it's too much.

Is it legal to scatter pet ashes in Québec or Canada?

We didn't find a federal or Québec law written specifically for pet ashes (search done in October 2026). Québec's funeral activities act (Loi sur les activités funéraires) covers human remains, not animals.

That doesn't mean anything goes. Local bylaws, park rules and property rights still apply. Three simple checks:

1. Your own land: call your municipality.
2. Someone else's land (a cottage, a farm, a friend's yard): ask the owner.
3. A park, a beach or a lake: ask the park or the city that manages it.

This is general information, not legal advice.

If you're not ready

Many people keep the ashes in their box for months, sometimes years. That's okay. Grief doesn't follow a schedule.

If it feels heavy, talk to people who knew your pet, or to your veterinarian: Québec's order of veterinarians (OMVQ) encourages clinics to give grieving owners references for support. The Ontario Veterinary College's free Pet Loss Support Resource Centre is also open to everyone online. In Québec, Info-Social 811 is free, confidential and available 24/7. For more keepsake ideas, see how to remember a pet who passed away.

FAQ

How long can I keep my pet's ashes at home?

As long as you want. Cremated remains don't need special storage. A closed box or urn, in a dry place, is enough.

Why didn't I get my pet's ashes back?

Most likely because the cremation was communal: several animals are cremated together and the ashes aren't returned. Only a private (individual) cremation gives them back. The clinic or crematorium can confirm which one was done.

Can I bury my pet's ashes in my yard in Québec?

Call your municipality before you dig. The City of Montréal says Québec law forbids burying an animal's body in your yard; we didn't find a rule written for ashes, and other sources say bylaws vary by city.

Can I scatter my pet's ashes in a park?

Check the park's rules first. Each park sets its own. Jasper National Park, for example, needs no permit but asks you to stay about 30 metres from trails, facilities and water.

Can I split the ashes between family members?

Yes. Ask the crematorium when you pick them up: some offer small keepsake urns or jewellery and can divide the ashes for you.

Sources

• SPA de Québec, euthanasia service (group cremation, no return of ashes): spadequebec.ca
• SPCA de l'Outaouais, communal and individual cremation: spcaoutaouais.ca
• Aquanimaux, private and communal aquamation: aquanimaux.ca
• Compagnons Éternels, cemetery services and prices: compagnonseternels.ca
• Ville de Montréal, reporting a dead animal (« Au Québec, la loi interdit d'enterrer un animal dans la cour »): montreal.ca
• Ontario Veterinary College (University of Guelph), OVC Pet Trust, Reflecting on Aftercare and Memorialization (private vs communal cremation, check local bylaws before a home burial, keepsakes): pettrust.ca
• Ordre des médecins vétérinaires du Québec (OMVQ), « Comment pouvez-vous faire une différence dans la vie de votre client endeuillé? » (2016, in French): omvq.qc.ca
• Parks Canada, scattering cremated remains in Jasper National Park: parks.canada.ca
• Partir avec dignité, check your municipal bylaw before burying: partiravecdignite.com
• Loi sur les activités funéraires (Québec, chapter A-5.02): legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca
• Info-Social 811, Gouvernement du Québec: quebec.ca

Last updated: October 7, 2026. All sources opened on October 7, 2026.