The Good: Durable, Quality materials, Good interior volume, Nicely molded figure.
The Bad: Fairly expensive, Name plate does not come affixed.
The Basics: The cocker spaniel memorial urn is a nice final resting place for our beloved Mitzie, but it is not perfect.
Today is the one year anniversary of the death of Mitzie, the beautiful cocker spaniel that came into my life with the woman I fell in love with who quickly became my wife. When I met Mitzie, she was an amazing geriatric cocker spaniel - fifteen years young - and so full of life that I was astonished by how energetic she still was. I only had two years with Mitzie in my life, but I didn't know how attached I could become to an animal until she did. When Mitzie died, I felt fortunate in one respect, which was that I was in a good financial position to take care of her and my wife, after the fact.
After Mitzie went to the vet, we had her cremated. In addition to the Celtic Knot Urn Pendant (reviewed here!), my wife went looking online for an urn that would house the bulk of Mitzie's ashes. She found the cocker spaniel memorial urn online and I was able to pick it up for her. Ever since, I have been very glad that I could. The Cocker Spaniel Memorial Urn is actually a very tasteful tribute to one's beloved pet.
Despite what the picture looks like, the Cocker Spaniel Memorial Urn is not cocker spaniel-shaped. There is a cocker spaniel figure that is affixed to the top of the hardwood urn. The box with the cocker spaniel figure measures 7 3/4" wide by 6" deep by 7" tall. The hardwood box is smooth, with a beveled edge at the top and a solid, flat top with the cocker spaniel mini-statue at the top center of the urn.
The cocker spaniel statue on the urn is 3 1/4" wide by 2 7/8" tall and we got the Cocker Spaniel Memorial Urn with the blonde cocker spaniel. It was the closest statue to a cocker spaniel like Mitzie was - though the hair on the statue is a little longer than Mitzie's was - we were not unhappy with the general form. We had pretty realistic expectations for how hard it would be to find a Cocker Spaniel Memorial Urn - blonde or not - that had a figure identical to Mitzie. The statue is very durable and the sculpt is very fine with great coloring. So, the sides are textured and the eyes on the statue are glossy.
The hardwood urn has a very thin bottom that has felt on it. The four corners of the bottom are affixed with tiny screws. Unscrewing them provides access to the urn itself. There is enough internal volume in the urn to easily contain both the ashes from a medium size dog, a dog toy and a collar. The family that loves their cocker spaniel enough to purchase the Cocker Spaniel Memorial Urn will want to keep the actual ashes in a sealed plastic bag. The bottom is not sealed tight in a way that will prevent ash dust from escaping when the urn it turned rightside-up if the ashes are not contained in a plastic bag. I actually like the fact that the bottom is what comes off, so the top and sides have a seamless appearance to them.
The front of the Cocker Spaniel Memorial Urn features a brass nameplate that allows the pet's human family to commemorate their beloved cocker spaniel. Ours has Mitzie's name, dates and a statement that my wife very sweetly included on it. I was a little disappointed that the nameplate did not come already affixed to the front. As one who was still mourning and who has always had difficulties lining things up, I felt pretty awkward trying to get the 3" wide by 1 1/2" tall plaque attached to the front. I wanted to be able to provide the Urn to my wife, but she had to affix the plaque, which was not ideal (though she affixed it perfectly!). The self-stick plaque affords you a single opportunity to get attaching the plaque right, so I recommend that those with less-steady hands have a friend help them when it comes to affixing the plaque.
Those who have never had a pet for fifteen years and relied upon that pet for love and companionship might find the price of the Cocker Spaniel Memorial Urn a little daunting, but I think that it was a great investment. Mitzie remains with us, in a prominent place and the stylish, loving tribute to her will always be a centerpiece to our home, as she was in our lives. The Cocker Spaniel Memorial Urn is classy and worthwhile and anyone who has a beloved pet will want something as enduring to commemorate their lost loved one.
Mitzie remains missed, but because we have the Cocker Spaniel Memorial Urn she is always nearby.
8/10
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© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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