Marking your pet's resting place in Ghent
Most families in Ghent want something simple: a name, the years and a line that sounds like home. Here's how to get that engraved on a stone that lasts outdoors.
- Wording that fits a small stone
- Flush, raised or with an ashes compartment
- No pressure: a stone can wait until you're ready
Ghent, Flanders
What getting a pet stone made in Ghent is like
The Leie and Scheldt, the quays of the Graslei and Korenlei, Citadelpark and the lakes at Blaarmeersen are places many Ghent owners shared with their animals. Scattering in public places is governed by local rules, so ask the city before you do it. Plenty of families keep the urn at home and keep only a tiny portion in a pendant to carry to that favorite spot.
Ghent's old town has little garden space, and many families choose a memorial that sits indoors: a compact urn on a bookshelf, a framed paw print by the window, or jewelry holding a pinch of ashes. Families in suburbs such as Sint-Martens-Latem or Merelbeke with more garden room sometimes add a stone or plant a tree. Decide where the memorial will live before choosing its size and material.
Heavy stones are easier to set with help. If you're already having landscaping done in Ghent, ask the crew to place the memorial while they're there with a compactor and a level. Some monument companies also set stones for a fee, which is worth considering for anything over about 50 lb or with a separate base.
Ghent is home to about 262,000 people, the 2nd-largest of the 2 Flanders communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Antwerp, about 32 miles (51 km) away, which is where some providers serving Ghent are based.
If you want to compare providers, look at Brussels (31 miles, a larger centre) and Antwerp (32 miles). Distance matters because pickup fees and the time until the ashes come back both grow with the drive.
67.98%[1]
In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria).
~$39[2]
Engraved pet garden stones start at about $39 at the median of three US sellers.
from $157.95[3]
Flat granite pet grave markers at Memorials.com start at $157.95.
2–4 weeks[4]
Made-to-order granite and bronze pet markers take 2–4 weeks to produce; garden and cultured stones ship in 3–5 business days.
How local customs shape pet memorials
Cremation covers roughly 67.98%[1] of human deaths in Belgium, and burial much of the rest, so it's common for two people in the same household to want different things. Cremation followed by burying the ashes under a stone often settles it: there's a grave to visit for one person and ashes that can travel for the other.
Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023) is where the Belgium figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Ghent tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
How the climate in Ghent ages a memorial
Before you set a stone, watch the spot for a week at different times of day. A place in deep shade stays damp and grows moss; one in full afternoon sun makes a photo etching hard to read and heats dark granite. A spot with morning sun and afternoon shade suits most stones and most visits.
What a pet memorial stone costs in Ghent
If your pet is buried in a pet cemetery near Ghent, the grave rental and any upkeep fees usually matter more than the stone. Ask how long the grave is reserved for, what happens when that period ends and whether you can take the stone with you. The table shows published examples and US stone prices for comparison.
Prices for Ghent track the wider Flanders market, so use the Flanders price table as your baseline and the services page to see what is included.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Rules to check before placing a stone in Flanders
Burying a pet on land that belongs to someone else, such as a parent's farm or a friend's garden, needs the owner's clear agreement, and it's wise to note the spot for whoever owns the land next. The stone itself is usually the easy part. Our local notes on burial and scattering in Flanders follow.
What to do first, and what can wait
- Let your child help choose the spot. A place they can get to by themselves, or look at from their bedroom, tends to mean more to a child than any adult would guess.
- Start with a stone they decorate themselves. A smooth river rock and some weatherproof paint pens keep a child busy and included when the loss is freshest.
- Ask them for one word or line to include. Years on, it's usually the child's own phrase that the whole family holds dearest.
- Show them the proof before you approve it, and let them check the spelling of the pet's name letter by letter.
- Keep the homemade stone next to the carved marker, or move it inside onto a shelf after the permanent one goes in.
- Give each child a job on the day: carrying the stone, placing pebbles around it or watering a new plant. More ideas are in our guides.
Remembering your pet beside the stone
The Ghent area is famous for growing begonias and azaleas, and a flowering plant is a natural memorial here, whether a pot on the windowsill or a shrub in the garden with ashes worked into the soil. Handmade urns, engraved stones and glass pieces also suit this creative university city. Remember that paw prints and fur clippings have to be requested before the cremation takes place.
try the free planning tools, or see how other readers answered in our polls, For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones. More local pages: Antwerp, the Flanders overview and every city in Belgium.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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What feels like the right amount to spend on a garden stone?
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Where would your pet's stone go?
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Free tools to help you plan
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Memorial stone planner
Plan size, material and engraving length so your wording fits the stone.
Memorial tree finder
Pick a tree for a planting urn that suits your climate, space and pet.
Questions people ask
Why does the Ghent page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023) reports about 67.98%[1] of Belgium residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Ghent?
The closest communities we cover are Brussels (about 31 miles) and Antwerp (about 32 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Ghent too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Will I have to travel to Antwerp to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Antwerp (roughly 32 miles from Ghent) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
Can I engrave a rock from my own garden or land?
Often, yes. Many monument companies will engrave a customer's own stone if its face is dense and smooth enough to hold lettering. Soft, crumbly or heavily layered rock won't take fine letters well. Take a photo and measurements to the engraver first, and ask whether they need the stone brought in or can work on site.
Can I add a second pet's name to an existing memorial stone?
Often, yes, if there's room and the stone is suitable. Many monument engravers can cut new lettering on site or in the workshop, and matching the original typeface and depth is easiest if you know who made the stone. If you're ordering now and expect to add a name later, ask for blank space to be left below the first inscription.
Is a personal memorial allowed in a park near Ghent?
Almost never. Parks departments generally don't allow personal stones, and scattering ashes may need permission. Some parks offices sell dedicated benches or trees with a small plaque, sometimes including a pet's name, though waiting lists can be long. The usual approach is to honor the park in the wording and set the stone somewhere private.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria). Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023, 2023.
- [2] Engraved pet garden stones start at about $39 at the median of three US sellers. Our estimate: median of starting prices [$38 Adirondack, $38.95 Memorials.com, $89.99 Comfort Co.]. How we calculate.
- [3] Flat granite pet grave markers at Memorials.com start at $157.95. Memorials.com – Pet Memorial Stones, 2026.
- [4] Made-to-order granite and bronze pet markers take 2–4 weeks to produce; garden and cultured stones ship in 3–5 business days. Memorials.com – Pet Memorial Stones, 2026.
- [5] Photo-etched or flat granite pet markers start at about $158–$160 at two US sellers. Our estimate: Memorials.com flat granite from $157.95; Comfort Co. photo granite from $159.99. How we calculate.
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