Planning a goodbye for your pet in Ghent
Most pet funerals in Ghent are small, simple and arranged within a day or two. We explain the local options in plain English and can email you choices that fit.
- A simple running order you can print
- Graveside and home ceremony guidance
- Help with timing around the weather
Ghent, Flanders
How families in Ghent say goodbye to a pet
Ghent is one of Belgium's largest student cities, and many young residents and newcomers live far from family, so losing an animal can feel lonely in a busy city full of festivals and cafés where everyone else seems carefree. Nobody needs to apologise for mourning an animal. Tell a friend or a colleague, talk it through with your vet, or look for a Dutch- or English-language pet-loss group online.
In Ghent, many families say their goodbye at home by candlelight with a few flowers beside the basket or bed, while others do it in a quiet room at the vet practice. There is no need to rush. Take photos, let children touch and talk to the animal if they want to, and ask whether an individual cremation allows you to be there if that would help you.
Families in Ghent sometimes look beyond the city for a witnessed cremation or a cemetery plot, and it can be worth it. Providers serving Antwerp may also cover Ghent, and a slightly longer drive can mean a farewell room, a more flexible time or a lower price for the same service. Compare the written totals, including travel.
With roughly 262,000 residents, Ghent is 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.
Families in Ghent often end up using a provider from Brussels (31 miles, a larger centre) and Antwerp (32 miles). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
67.98%[1]
In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria).
+$25–$100[2]
Memorials.com's pet cremation cost guide says viewing or witnessing the cremation typically adds $25–$100.
$831[3]
CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for pet cemetery burial of a dog at $831 (range $659-$1,513).
68% cremation; 32% burial[4]
In a US survey of 2,043 dog and cat owners who had made end-of-life decisions, 68% had made a cremation decision and 32% a burial decision for at least one past pet.
The published sources behind those figures are Memorials.com and Cooney, Kogan, Brooks, Ellis.
What local burial and cremation customs suggest
Cremation now accounts for about 67.98%[1] of deaths in Belgium, but burial still has deep roots. You may find the family split, with older relatives wanting a grave and younger ones preferring ashes at home. Burying the ashes after cremation often settles it: there's a place to visit, and the ceremony can wait for good weather.
The Belgium figure comes from Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Planning an outdoor goodbye in Ghent's climate
Wherever you are, the same rule holds: keep your pet cool, indoors and out of direct sun while you plan the farewell. In warm weather, hold the home goodbye within a few hours or ask the vet to hold your pet in a cold room. In cold weather you have more time, but frozen ground can delay a burial.
Pet farewell prices for Ghent families
In Ghent, as in most of Europe, the vet is usually the first call and will arrange collection by a pet crematorium. You can also contact a crematorium or pet cemetery directly, which is the easiest way to ask about a farewell room or an attended service. Always ask for individual cremation by name if you want the ashes back.
The full price table by product is on our Flanders 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.
What you can and can't do in Flanders
Beaches, rivers and lakes often have their own scattering rules, set by a different authority from parks, and some ask you to scatter a set distance from shore. Here's the general picture for Flanders; for the exact spot, check with whoever manages that land or water.
From first call to farewell: the steps
- Keep your pet cool and indoors, especially in warm weather, while you make calls.
- Ask whether a viewing room or witnessed cremation is possible, plus how much notice they need for either.
- For a pet cemetery burial, ask about the plot, the opening fee, casket or shroud, and whether a graveside service is allowed on the day.
- For a home burial, read up on what Flanders allows, pick ground clear of drains and water, and have the grave ready before people get there.
- Collect a keepsake first: the tags and collar, a snip of fur, an impression of a paw.
- Confirm the price in writing before the pickup is allowed to happen.
- Write down the date you're told the ashes will return, so you can plan what comes next.
After the farewell: ways to keep the memory close
Belgians traditionally visit graves around All Saints' Day on the first of November, carrying chrysanthemums, and some Ghent families now set aside that day for a pet too, with a candle beside the urn or flowers at a garden stone. Others choose a bike ride along the canals on the anniversary. If grief is still disrupting sleep or work after several weeks, your GP is a good first call.
try the free planning tools, or compare your instinct with the poll results, See what each option includes on our services page, look through our guides and the blog. Close to Ghent we also cover Antwerp; the full list for Flanders and for Belgium is a click away.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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What kind of goodbye feels right for your pet?
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When would you hold the farewell?
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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.
Farewell & memorial service planner
Build a simple goodbye: who, where, readings, rituals and a checklist.
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Questions people ask
How do Belgium attitudes to cremation compare?
Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023) puts the Belgium human cremation rate at about 67.98%[1]. We show it on the Ghent page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
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.
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.
Should my other pets see the body before the farewell?
Many owners let them, and it rarely does harm. Give your other dog or cat a few calm minutes to sniff and walk away in their own time. Some show little interest; others seem to search the house less afterwards. There's no evidence it's required, so if it feels wrong for your household, skip it. Keep routines steady for the animals left behind in the days that follow.
Can I bury my pet at home in Ghent?
It depends on the country and often the local council. Germany allows it on your own land with at least 50 cm of soil and not in water-protection areas; Dubai doesn't permit animal burial at all; Japan bans it in public places such as parks. Ask your vet or local authority before digging, or consider a pet cemetery.
What do you say at a pet's funeral?
Something true and specific: their name, one habit that made everyone laugh and one thing you'll miss. A short poem, a prayer or a favorite song works if words are hard. Many families ask each person to share one memory. Two or three minutes of speaking is plenty, and nobody expects polish.
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] Memorials.com's pet cremation cost guide says viewing or witnessing the cremation typically adds $25–$100. Memorials.com – Pet Cremation Cost Guide 2026, 2026.
- [3] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for pet cemetery burial of a dog at $831 (range $659-$1,513). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [4] In a US survey of 2,043 dog and cat owners who had made end-of-life decisions, 68% had made a cremation decision and 32% a burial decision for at least one past pet. Cooney, Kogan, Brooks, Ellis - Pet Owners' Expectations for Pet End-of-Life Support and After-Death Body Care, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine (2020), 2020.
- [5] Across five posted US pet-cemetery price lists, the median whole-body burial for a small pet, including plot and opening/closing, was about $350. Our estimate: median of [Rainier $150 plot incl. first burial, Cedar Bend $290, Forest $350, Great River $750, Precious Memories $1,500]. How we calculate.
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