Yes — you can put your dog's picture on an urn. There are two ways to do it: the photo can be printed directly onto the ceramic (a real image of your dog, not a sticker or slide-in frame), or an artist can turn your photo into a hand-created watercolor portrait painted on the urn with your dog's name. This guide explains how both work at LovaPaws, which photo to choose for the best result, and how to decide between a printed photo and a painted portrait.
How it works: from your phone to the urn
- Choose the urn style — photo urn or watercolor portrait urn — and the size that fits your dog (about 1 cubic inch per pound; see the size guide).
- Upload one clear photo at checkout. A normal phone photo is fine — what matters is that the face is sharp and well-lit.
- We create the artwork. For photo urns, your image is prepared and printed onto the ceramic surface. For portrait urns, an artist creates a watercolor portrait from your photo — fur texture, eye color, the expression you recognize.
- Made to order, then shipped. Allow 3–5 business days of processing plus 5–15 business days standard shipping. We understand this is a sensitive purchase — if you have timing concerns, contact us before ordering.
Because the image is printed or painted into the surface — not applied as a sticker — it won't peel or slide, and normal indoor display won't wear it.
Which photo should you choose?
The best urn portraits come from photos where you can see what made your dog them. Look for:
- Face clearly visible — front-facing or slightly angled, eyes open
- Good light — daylight near a window beats indoor lamps; avoid heavy shadows
- Sharp focus — zoom in on the photo; if the eyes are crisp, it will work
- Their real expression — the head-tilt, the grin, the eyebrows. Recognizable beats formal.
Only have old or imperfect photos — especially if your dog has already passed? That's very common, and artists can usually still work from them. See our guide to using old or low-quality photos, and our full photo selection guide for more examples.
Printed photo vs painted portrait: how to choose
Choose a printed photo urn if you want to see your dog's actual face — the real photo, exactly as you remember it. It's the more literal, documentary choice, and many people find daily comfort in that.
Choose a watercolor portrait urn if you want the urn to read as art. The portrait softens the photo into something painted and timeless — which is also why it's the style visitors rarely recognize as an urn at all. This is our most-viewed dog urn.
Can't decide? A practical tiebreaker: if the photo you love most is technically imperfect — slightly blurry, odd background — the watercolor portrait is more forgiving, because the artist interprets rather than reproduces.
You already have the photo. It's the one you keep going back to. The urn just gives it a place to live outside your phone.
Put Their Face Somewhere You'll See It
Photo urns and watercolor portrait urns, made to order from the photo you upload — with your dog's name and dates.
Create Their Portrait Urn →
