An outdoor memorial for your pet, made for Ankeny
Ankeny has an estimated 28,500 dog- or cat-owning households. When a stone is the memorial you want, the local climate, your yard and any HOA or lease rules all shape the right choice.
- Stones matched to winters and summers in Ankeny
- Real published prices, not guesses
- Garden, cemetery or take-it-with-you options
Ankeny, Iowa
Where a stone can go in Ankeny
Ankeny households often include grown children living elsewhere in the Des Moines metro or across the country. Dividing ashes lets everyone keep something: a main urn at home, keepsake vials, or cremation jewelry for those far away. Nose prints, paw prints and snipped fur have to be arranged while your pet's body is still with the provider, so raise them on the first call.
In a young suburb where many families bought their first house with a yard, memorials often go outdoors: a flat stone near the patio, a shrub planted over a biodegradable urn, or a small plaque set in a garden border. Others keep things indoors with an urn, a framed paw print or a pendant. Nothing is lost by leaving the ashes in the provider's box until the family agrees.
Space is rarely the problem around Ankeny. Larger lots mean more families bury their pets at home, often under a favorite tree or at the edge of a field. On open land, choose a flush granite marker or a heavy natural stone that a mower, tractor or curious livestock won't move, and note the spot on a sketch in case the ground changes.
About 77,833 people live in Ankeny, which makes it the 5th-largest of the 27 Iowa communities we cover. Des Moines, roughly 10 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Ankeny run from there.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Johnston (7 miles), Altoona (8 miles) and Des Moines (10 miles, a larger centre), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
28,500
Ankeny: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
77,833 ÷ 2.5 = 31,133 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 28,500. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
2,400
Ankeny families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
28,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,400 a year. A floor, not a ceiling.
53%[1]
53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households.
12.69 years[2]
US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years.
39%[3]
39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households.
11.18 years[4]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
Sources for the statistics above: Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
How Iowa remembers its dead, and its pets
About 63.6%[5] of people in Iowa are cremated, a share that has been rising for years. Many families here grew up visiting headstones in a churchyard or town cemetery, and a stone for a pet can feel like a natural extension of that habit. Others prefer something less formal, such as an engraved river rock in a flower bed.
The Iowa percentage above is from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) and refers to human funerals. Treat it as context for Ankeny, not as a count of pets.
Ankeny weather and your pet's stone
Frozen ground in Ankeny during January, February, March, November and December can make digging hard or impossible. If your pet died in winter, a temporary marker and a spring installation are perfectly normal. Many families keep the engraved stone indoors until the ground thaws, which also gives you time to see the proof and check the wording properly.
Think about where the snow goes in Ankeny. From January, February, March, November and December, the piles from a shovel, snowblower or plow sit longest and melt last, leaving a stone in slush for weeks. Place the memorial away from the edges of drives and paths, and never chip ice off it with a metal shovel, which can nick polished edges.
What drives the price of a pet memorial stone
If you want a picture on the stone, budget for it separately. A laser-etched portrait on a full headstone costs about $500–$800[6] from monument engravers, while small photo-etched granite pet markers from online makers start from $159.99[7]. Ask makers serving Ankeny for a proof before they etch, and compare total prices including delivery.
The full price table by product is on our Iowa page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Home burial, rentals and pet cemeteries in Iowa
Three sets of rules decide where a pet memorial stone can go in Iowa: the public rules on burying a pet, private rules from your homeowners' association, landlord or strata, and the marker rules of any pet cemetery. A stone over buried ashes or in a planter usually raises no issue at all; a whole-body grave and an upright headstone raise the most questions.
Not sure which office covers Ankeny? The Iowa local government directory is the official list.
The rules that apply across Iowa (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our Iowa page. Ankeny may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
From first idea to a stone in the ground
- Decide whether the stone should travel with you. Renters and anyone likely to move soon should choose something they can lift.
- Pick a spot you'll see every day, somewhere in view from the kitchen window or the step, not tucked away where you seldom go.
- Keep it clear of pipes and roots. Have buried utilities located before you put a spade in, and stay well back from the base of any tree.
- Order a stone rated for outdoor use in your climate, with sandblasted lettering at least an eighth of an inch deep.
- Check the proof carefully. Names, dates and punctuation can't be changed once the stone is cut.
- Install it, then look after it lightly: a gentle brushing with clean water a couple of times a year is all it needs.
Keeping the memory close
Outdoor markers in Ankeny face months of frost and thaw. Cast concrete and resin chip and crack, while granite and bronze stay sound. Newer lots are often graded clay with little topsoil, so set a stone on a gravel bed to keep it level, and check where sprinklers and buried utility lines run before digging for a marker or tree. Call the free locate line first.
read our guides and latest articles, or look at how readers voted in our polls, For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, run the numbers with the free planning tools. Close to Ankeny we also cover West Des Moines, Des Moines, Davenport and Cedar Rapids; the full list for Iowa and for the United States is a click away.
Reader polls
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If you moved house, what would happen to the memorial?
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If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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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
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Ankeny?
Usually yes. Johnston is about 7 miles away, Altoona is about 8 miles away and Des Moines is about 10 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
How many pet owners live in Ankeny?
By our estimate, about 28,500 households in Ankeny have at least one dog or cat, and around 2,400 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 77,833, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Where are the providers that serve Ankeny actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Des Moines, about 10 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Ankeny and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Is cremation common in Iowa?
For people, yes: about 63.6%[5] of Iowa deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Ankeny follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
How heavy is a granite pet grave marker?
Granite weighs roughly 165 to 170 lb per cubic foot, so a 12 x 6 inch marker 2 inches thick weighs about 14 lb, and a 16 x 8 inch marker 3 inches thick is close to 40 lb. Upright headstones with a base can weigh well over 100 lb. Heavier pieces usually ship by freight and may be delivered to the curb only.
Can I have my pet's photo etched onto a stone?
Yes. Makers use a laser on polished black granite to create a gray-scale portrait. Results depend on the picture: send the original file, taken in daylight, with your pet looking toward the camera. Dark pets on dark backgrounds and pale pets on pale ones lose their outline, so ask for background removal and approve a proof.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [2] US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [3] 39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [4] US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [5] The NFDA projected Iowa's cremation rate at 63.6% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] A laser-etched portrait on a headstone costs about $500–$800, and a porcelain photo $200–$600. Memorials.com – Headstone Engraving Cost, 2026.
- [7] Photo-etched granite pet markers at The Comfort Company start at $159.99. The Comfort Company – Pet memorial stones, 2026.
- [8] 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.
Find a stone maker who serves Ankeny
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