Who in the world wants to type the title of this blog post with their dog’s name before ‘urn’? No one, that’s who. I personally do not want to pick a casket or an urn for any loved one.  Also, I pretty much refuse to say urn or casket and almost always go with ‘container’ which also confuses people but it just feels gentler. But ‘Melvin’s container’ might have left some of you wondering if you should read this or not.  I guess to be fair, you still may feel that way!

When it comes to pets and cremation, I have not found there to be (although to be honest I have never asked) a choice of container.  Sure, there are tons of options online, but I think each crematory probably delivers everyones ashes back in their standard container and if you don’t like it, you might search for a different one.

Ok, now that I have gotten that out of the way (and it was sorta necessary for this post) maybe we can shake of the chills that the word ‘crematory’ brings.

Melvin’s ashes came to me in a wooden box.  It was a fine wooden box.  I mean, there is nothing wrong with it, but to be honest, there is nothing right about it either.  I think that would probably go for whatever container they put his ashes in at first.  Since my plan does not involve scattering his ashes, over the past year I have looked at (and yes talked to) that wooden box and always, every time, felt…I need to find a different container.

Then I recalled a container idea I had seen a while ago.  When I had first seen the idea I thought it was brilliant but at that point I thought Melvin had such a long life ahead of him that I would surely forget it.  Not the case, but still a win.

Melvin loved Kongs.  LOVED.  Kongs were a part of his every day.   This is a snapshot of our collection from a few years back.

I had gotten both him and Jake a Kong wobbler (only to have them destroy drywall when they were flinging them around the house) so I quickly took them away and put them in a cabinet.  It’s funny looking back.  At that moment when I took them away, I knew with certainty that I was never letting them play with them again (seriously, I had to have drywall replaced!) but yet I saved them. Sigh.

And from this…

Became this…Melvin’s ashes are now inside it.

For the first time, his container feels as right as possible.  What I love most about it, is that Kong Wobbler was dinged, and scratched and all Melvin’d up.  Just the way I like it.

I did have to transfer his ashes out of the original box AND the velvet pouch they came in, into one of my socks (the pouch was way too bulky).  This didn’t really cause me too much anxiety except I did reach in to make sure the ashes were in plastic inside the velvet pouch (they were, whew!).  I stared at the ashes for a bit, reminding myself they were no longer the all of Melvin, just a tiny piece of him left behind. I transferred them to the sock and as I was fitting the pouch into the Kong (a feat way easier said than done) I kept saying ‘just squeeze in a little more bud, I almost have it closed’.

Crazy, party of one!