Pet funerals and farewells in London
A farewell for your pet in London can be ten quiet minutes in the garden or a graveside service with a headstone. Here's what's possible locally, what it costs and how to plan it quickly.
- Home, garden or viewing-room farewells
- Witnessed cremation and cemetery burial explained
- Plan it all within a day if you need to
London, Ontario
Pet farewells in London: the local picture
Many London households include students, young families and grandparents, and a pet's death is felt by everyone in different ways. For students at Western or Fanshawe, losing the family pet back home can hurt all the more because they could not be there. A phone or video call, and a photo on the desk, can help. Younger children benefit from honest words and a small task.
Losing a pet during a long Ontario winter can feel especially hard, when days are short and routines shrink indoors. Pet bereavement services are available by phone or online, and your vet can often suggest one. Some Londoners find it helps to get out along the Thames Valley Parkway, even briefly, and let the memories surface in a place their pet knew.
If you want a graveside service, check early whether there's a pet cemetery that serves London. Some mid-size cities have one, many rely on a cemetery in a neighboring area, and a few human cemeteries now set aside a pet section. Ask about opening fees, weekend services and whether you can bring your own flowers and readings.
About 422,000 people live in London, which makes it the 6th-largest of the 15 Ontario communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve London are based about 72 miles away in Hamilton, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
Families in London often end up using a provider from Guelph (63 miles), Hamilton (72 miles) and Burlington (77 miles). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
81.1%[1]
CANA projects the Canadian cremation rate will reach 81.1% by 2030.
+$25–$100[2]
Memorials.com's pet cremation cost guide says viewing or witnessing the cremation typically adds $25–$100.
$831[3]
CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for pet cemetery burial of a dog at $831 (range $659-$1,513).
68% cremation; 32% burial[4]
In a US survey of 2,043 dog and cat owners who had made end-of-life decisions, 68% had made a cremation decision and 32% a burial decision for at least one past pet.
The published sources behind those figures are Cooney, Kogan, Brooks, Ellis and Memorials.com.
Funeral traditions in Canada and your pet
Cremation is the usual choice for people in Canada, at about 81.1%[1]. For pets, that often means the funeral is a gathering around the ashes rather than a burial: a celebration of life at home, a scattering on a favorite walk or a small planting in the garden. None of those needs a venue, and all of them can happen weeks later, when everyone is ready.
The Canada figure comes from CANA Industry Statistical Information (2030). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Planning an outdoor goodbye in London's climate
Seasons change the timing of a farewell more than its shape. Many families in London hold the goodbye indoors on the day and move the outdoor part, such as burying ashes, planting a tree or scattering on a favorite walk, to a calmer day with kinder weather. There's no deadline on ashes.
What a pet funeral costs in London
Budget for yourself as well as your pet. A private pet-loss counselling hour costs CA$220 at one Calgary practice [5], about as much as a basic private cremation by our estimate [6], while several free pet-loss helplines exist. In Ontario, one aftercare provider lists private cremation at CAD 449 for pets under 25 lb [7]. Ask providers near London for their own written figures.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Ontario: Ontario costs. What each service includes is on the services page.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
What you can and can't do in Ontario
Most of what happens at a pet funeral is up to you. The exceptions are home burial, which Ontario and your city or county may regulate, and scattering ashes in parks or on land you don't own, which usually needs the owner's permission. The key points are below.
Across Canada, most farewells happen at home or through the family vet, and some crematories near larger cities have a family room for a short visit before cremation. Winter matters: in much of the country the ground is frozen for months, so many families hold the goodbye indoors and bury the ashes with a small ceremony in spring.
The rules that apply across Ontario (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our Ontario page. London may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
A simple plan for the hours ahead
- Find a small box and soft bedding, such as a shoebox lined with a cloth or some of their own nesting material.
- Choose between cremation and a garden grave. A very small animal produces only a trace of ash; ask the crematory how it's kept apart from other pets' and what container it's returned in.
- For a garden grave, choose ground you're likely to still own in years to come, look up what's allowed locally, and decide on a marker, whether a potted plant or a flat stone.
- Invite whoever looked after them, even if that's one child and one parent. A small animal can leave a big gap.
- Say a few words or read a note, and finish by placing a flower, or a little of the food they loved most, on the box.
- Clear the cage, hutch or tank slowly over a few days, rather than the same afternoon, so the room doesn't feel suddenly empty.
Anniversaries, gatherings and quiet reminders
London is a city of neighbourhoods and long-time residents, and a pet's farewell often reflects that: a small gathering at home, friends dropping off food, or a few quiet minutes in the backyard under the trees. If you want to stay with your pet until pickup, or be present at the cremation, raise it when you first get in touch. A simple goodbye with those who knew your pet is often enough.
browse in-depth guides or recent articles, The services page is the place to compare what is included, run the numbers with the free planning tools, or see how other readers answered in our polls. You can also browse every city in Canada. Nearby, we also cover Hamilton, Toronto, Brampton and Markham, and every city in Ontario.
Reader polls
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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
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from London?
Usually yes. Guelph is about 63 miles away, Hamilton is about 72 miles away and Burlington is about 77 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Where are the providers that serve London actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Hamilton, about 72 miles away. That is normal for a city this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for London and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Is cremation common in Canada?
For people, yes: about 81.1%[1] of Canada deaths end in cremation, according to CANA Industry Statistical Information (2030). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in London follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Can we plan a pet funeral in London within a day?
Yes, most pet farewells are arranged that quickly. In the morning, decide cremation or burial and call to hold a time. By midday, message the few people who should come. In the afternoon, choose the spot, a blanket, a candle and something to read. Hold the farewell in the evening, then hand your pet over or lay them to rest.
Do people hold funerals for hamsters, birds and other small pets?
Plenty do. A small pet's farewell needs little more than a lined box, a few words and a flower, and children often need it more than adults expect. Choose a garden grave where local rules allow and you expect to stay, or ask a crematory about individual cremation for small animals, since the amount of ash is tiny. Mark the spot with a stone or a pot plant.
Can I be there when my pet is cremated if I live in London?
Possibly, but it may mean a drive. Smaller places often send pets to a crematory in a larger centre such as Hamilton, so ask your vet which one they use and call it directly. Some families take their pet there themselves, hold the farewell in the car park or a quiet room, and stay while the cremation begins.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] CANA projects the Canadian cremation rate will reach 81.1% by 2030. CANA Industry Statistical Information, 2030.
- [2] Memorials.com's pet cremation cost guide says viewing or witnessing the cremation typically adds $25–$100. Memorials.com – Pet Cremation Cost Guide 2026, 2026.
- [3] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for pet cemetery burial of a dog at $831 (range $659-$1,513). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [4] In a US survey of 2,043 dog and cat owners who had made end-of-life decisions, 68% had made a cremation decision and 32% a burial decision for at least one past pet. Cooney, Kogan, Brooks, Ellis - Pet Owners' Expectations for Pet End-of-Life Support and After-Death Body Care, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine (2020), 2020.
- [5] A Calgary psychology practice charges CA$220 per 60-minute pet-loss counselling session, which Alberta Health Care does not cover. Trio Psychology – Pet Loss Counselling (Calgary), 2026.
- [6] A private pet-loss counselling hour (CA$220 in Calgary) costs about as much as a basic private cremation, while at least four university and charity lines in the US, UK and Australia/NZ are free to call. Our estimate: Count of free-to-call lines: Tufts, Cornell, Blue Cross, Pets and People (free call). How we calculate.
- [7] An Ontario aftercare provider lists private cremation at CAD 449 (under 25 lb) and CAD 549 (25-250 lb), and communal at CAD 199 and CAD 279. Florence (Ontario) - How Much Does Pet Euthanasia and Cremation Cost in Ontario? 2026 Guide, 2026.
- [8] The median price multiple of private (ashes returned) over communal cremation across 8 markets is about 2.0x, ranging from 1.25x (Tokyo) to 5.2x (Auckland). Our estimate: median(private_price / communal_price) same weight band: US CareCredit 51-70 lb midpoints (250/75) = 3.33x; Auckland 15-25 kg (445/85) = 5.24x; Norway 1-20 kg (3790/1190) = 3.18x; Singapore 10-20 kg (480/260) = 1.85x; Ontario 25-250 lb (549/279) = 1.97x; Tokyo 20-30 kg (38500/30800) = 1.25x; France 20 kg midpoints (200/95) = 2.11x; Germany range midpoints (270/145) = 1.86x. How we calculate.
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