Planning a goodbye for your pet in Perth
Around 58,000 Perth families lose a dog or cat each year, by our estimate. Some hold a garden farewell, some book a viewing room, some choose a cemetery plot. Here's what each involves locally.
- Home, garden or viewing-room farewells
- Witnessed cremation and cemetery burial explained
- Plan it all within a day if you need to
Perth, Western Australia
A goodbye that fits life in Perth
Grief can feel lonelier in Perth when close family lives on the other side of the country or overseas. A video call during a small home farewell, or sharing photos with relatives in different time zones, can help people feel included. Australia also has free pet loss support lines and online groups, and your vet clinic can often point you to local counsellors who understand that losing an animal is a real bereavement.
In a city this spread out, a farewell often happens at home or in the backyard rather than at a clinic across town. You can arrange a home euthanasia visit, sit with your pet for as long as you need, and then have them collected. If you want the family together, including children, pick a time outside the school run and peak traffic so nobody arrives rushed. A short moment in the garden before collection is enough for many families.
In a large city, pet cemetery plots are scarce and priced accordingly. If burial matters to you, ask Perth cemeteries who owns the land, what perpetual care covers and whether graveside services are allowed on weekends. If a plot is out of reach, cremation followed by a small burial of the ashes in a family garden gives you a place to visit for much less.
Perth's population is around 2,092,000, the largest of the 2 Western Australia communities we cover.
For a second opinion on price, Bunbury (96 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Perth routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
695,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Perth
How we calculated this
2,092,000 ÷ 2.5 = 836,800 households; × 49% (dog) + 34% (cat) = 695,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
58,000
Estimated dog and cat losses in Perth each year
How we calculated this
695,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 58,000 a year. The real figure is unlikely to be lower.
49%[1]
49% of Australian households have at least one dog, up from 40% in 2019.
12.69 years[2]
US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years.
34%[3]
34% of Australian households have at least one cat, up from 27% in 2019.
11.18 years[4]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Animal Medicines Australia, Pets in Australia 2025 (media release) and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science; we only apply it to this.
Faith, tradition and pet goodbyes in Australia
Scattering is common where cremation is the norm, and with about 71%[5] of people in Australia cremated, some families want a pet's ashes to end up beside a person's. Rules on mixing remains in human cemeteries vary a lot, so ask first. The reverse happens too: about 800 people's ashes rest alongside their pets at one historic US pet cemetery [6].
That Australia rate is a human one, published by FuneralSmart (2023). We quote it for Perth only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Seasons, timing and ceremonies in Perth
Seasonal flowers are the easiest way to mark a pet's farewell in Perth: whatever is blooming in the garden or at the market that week. Lay a handful beside your pet or on the grave, and consider planting the same thing later so it comes into bloom again around the anniversary.
Pet funeral and burial prices for families in Perth
In New Zealand, an Auckland crematorium lists individual cremation for a 15–25 kg dog at NZD 445 [7], with communal far cheaper. Australian prices follow a similar shape in AUD. A home ceremony before collection adds little; a viewing or attended cremation depends on the provider, so ask what it adds in writing.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Western Australia overview; for what's included in each option, see our services.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Burial, scattering and gathering rules in Western Australia
If your pet was put to sleep, the drug stays in the body, and wildlife or other animals can be poisoned if a grave is dug up. That risk is one reason home burial is regulated at all, and why a well-covered grave or cremation matters. Here's what Western Australia says.
In Australia, many councils restrict backyard burial in suburban areas, so check before planning a garden farewell. Summer heat shortens how long a home goodbye can last. RSPCA Queensland's memorial packages publish a return window [9], which is a helpful model: ask any provider for a return date so you can plan a gathering around it.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Western Australia level first; our Western Australia rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Perth or your HOA adds anything.
Planning a farewell in Perth, step by step
- Check gently that your pet has died: no breathing, no heartbeat against the chest, eyes open and still. If you're not sure, ring an emergency vet.
- Close the eyes if you can and curl the legs softly into a sleeping shape within the first couple of hours, before the body stiffens.
- Slide an old towel or puppy pad underneath. It's normal for the bladder or bowel to empty after death, and it doesn't mean anything went wrong.
- Let your other animals come and sniff should they show interest. Plenty of owners believe this helps the remaining pets make sense of why the bed is now empty.
- If it's the middle of the night and the house is cool, leave the calls until morning. A quiet night beside your pet is allowed.
- Before collection or burial, hold ten minutes of goodbye, so the last memory is yours and not a stranger at the front door.
Keeping their memory alive in Perth
Perth's outdoor lifestyle means the gaps a pet leaves are often very visible: the empty spot on the verandah, the quiet backyard, the morning routine that suddenly has nothing to it. It is normal to find those moments hard, and a small farewell in the garden can help mark the change. Later, planting something in the pet's memory or marking their birthday each year gives the loss a place to sit.
the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, or compare your instinct with the poll results, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, See what each option includes on our services page. If you live between Perth and Bunbury, either page applies. Every other community in Western Australia, and all of Australia, is listed too.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
What kind of goodbye feels right for your pet?
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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
Is cremation common in Australia?
For people, yes: about 71%[5] of Australia deaths end in cremation, according to FuneralSmart (2023). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Perth follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Is Perth big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 695,000 Perth households keep a dog or cat and around 58,000 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 2,092,000), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
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.
Can I have a religious blessing at my pet's farewell?
Yes. Many clergy will say a short blessing for an animal if asked, at home or by a grave, and some pet cemeteries can suggest a celebrant. Start with your own faith community. In Japan, some pet memorial parks include chanting by a monk at a witnessed cremation, which shows how naturally faith and pet funerals can sit together.
How soon should a pet funeral happen?
There's no fixed rule. Many families hold a short farewell on the day, before collection or burial, and a larger gathering later when the ashes come home. If people need time to travel, ask the vet or crematory to hold your pet in a cold room and book a viewing there when everyone arrives.
Can I hold a funeral for my pet at home in Perth?
Yes, and it's the most common kind of pet funeral. Choose a quiet room or a corner of the garden, lay your pet on their bed, invite the few people who should be there and plan one small ritual. Then ask the vet or crematory to collect afterwards, or go ahead with a home burial if Western Australia rules allow it.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 49% of Australian households have at least one dog, up from 40% in 2019. Animal Medicines Australia, Pets in Australia 2025 (media release), 2025.
- [2] US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [3] 34% of Australian households have at least one cat, up from 27% in 2019. Animal Medicines Australia, Pets in Australia 2025 (media release), 2025.
- [4] US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [5] Australian cremation rates hovered around 70-72% between 2020 and 2023, with Sydney and Melbourne often above 80%. FuneralSmart, 2023.
- [6] The cremated remains of about 800 people are buried alongside their pets at Hartsdale Pet Cemetery. VOA News – America's oldest pet cemetery, 2024.
- [7] An Auckland pet crematorium lists individual cremation at NZD 445 for a 15-25 kg dog and communal cremation at NZD 85 for the same weight. Caring Cremations (Auckland) - Pet cremation prices, 2026.
- [8] Posted surcharges to witness or view a pet cremation range from $25 to $350, with a median of about $125 across four data points. Our estimate: median of [$25 guide low, $100 guide high, $150 NC provider, $350 VA provider]. How we calculate.
- [9] RSPCA Queensland's Pets at Rest memorial packages (individual cremation) start from AUD 250, with the memorial returned within 14 days. RSPCA Queensland - Pet cremation (RSPCA Pets at Rest), 2025.
Tell us about the goodbye you're planning
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.