I think that vial idea is a nice one. Keeps him close to your heart.

You know there's some business that, for a lot of money, lets you send off your loved one's cremated remains and have them somehow treated, compressed and fired down into a gemstone. I don't know whether it has to be only human remains or not, but it's kind of a neat idea (for people who can afford it) to have a loved one's remains turned into a nice gem. Dogs are certainly gems when theyr'e alive.