A proper farewell for your pet in Hillsborough
About 4,100 Hillsborough households share their home with a dog or cat, by our estimate. When the time comes, a small farewell helps. This page covers where to hold it, what it costs and who to call.
- Home, garden or viewing-room farewells
- Witnessed cremation and cemetery burial explained
- Plan it all within a day if you need to
Hillsborough, California
Choosing where the farewell happens in Hillsborough
Groups for bereaved owners meet in San Mateo, Burlingame and San Francisco, and a number of counselors across the county see clients by video, which spares you the drive. Losing an animal after ten or fifteen years together is a real bereavement, and nobody should rush it. If a child in the house is withdrawn or anxious weeks afterward, a school counselor is a good first contact.
Hillsborough's quiet, spread-out streets can make the loss of an animal feel isolating, with no main street where neighbors pass. A short farewell outdoors, family standing together under the trees with perhaps one close neighbor, can help break that silence. If you prefer the end to come at home rather than in a clinic, a house-call vet can arrange it and coordinate a pickup time with the aftercare service.
A small-town farewell can be as simple as a walk. Some families in and around Hillsborough take their dog's usual route one last time with the lead in hand, then gather at home for the vet's visit or the burial. It costs nothing, needs no permission and gives everyone something to do with their hands and feet while they grieve.
About 11,206 people live in Hillsborough, which makes it the 284th-largest of the 307 California communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is San Francisco, about 14 miles (23 km) away, which is where some providers serving Hillsborough are based.
The closest communities we cover are Burlingame (2 miles, a larger centre), Millbrae (2 miles, a larger centre) and San Mateo (3 miles, a larger centre). Providers serving those towns often travel to Hillsborough too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
4,100
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Hillsborough
How we calculated this
11,206 ÷ 2.5 = 4,482 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 4,100. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
340
Hillsborough families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
4,100 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 340 a year. A floor, not a ceiling.
53%[1]
53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households.
12.69 years[2]
US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years.
39%[3]
39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households.
11.18 years[4]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
None of the figures on this this page are ours alone: they rest on American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
What local burial and cremation customs suggest
About 70.5%[5] of people in California are cremated, so most families here have been to a cremation service and know how one feels. That familiarity carries over to pets: a viewing before cremation, a few words said and ashes brought home is a pattern people recognise. It also means crematories are well established, and a farewell room or witnessed cremation is easier to find.
The California percentage above is from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) and refers to human funerals. Treat it as context for Hillsborough, not as a count of pets.
Seasons, timing and ceremonies in Hillsborough
Mild weather makes outdoor farewells easy for most of the year in Hillsborough. A garden burial, a short ceremony under a tree or a gathering at the park your dog loved can happen within days or weeks. December is usually the wettest month, so have an indoor plan or a gazebo ready if you're gathering then.
In a mild place like Hillsborough, many families hold two farewells: a quiet one on the day, and a celebration of life in the garden or a park a few weeks later, when the ashes are home. The weather rarely gets in the way, so pick the date that suits people, such as a weekend or the pet's birthday.
The real cost of a pet goodbye in Hillsborough
Being present costs extra. One US pricing guide says viewing or witnessing a cremation typically adds $25 to $100 [6], and the posted surcharges we found run from $25 to $350, with a median of about $125 by our estimate [7]. Ask Hillsborough crematories whether a short viewing is already included before paying for a separate appointment.
We keep the detailed California price table on one page so it stays current: see California prices.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Permissions to check in California before the ceremony
A farewell itself needs no permission anywhere: you can gather, speak and say goodbye at home as you wish. The rules start when the body or the ashes go into the ground or the open air. Here's what applies in California for burying at home and scattering ashes.
To find your county or city office in California, start with the official California local government directory.
We keep California's burial and scattering rules in one place: the California rules summary. Before a home burial in Hillsborough, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
What to do first, and what can wait
- Take a breath. When a pet dies at home, settle them onto a towel or their own bed somewhere cool. There is no decision you need to make within the hour.
- Decide cremation or burial first. That one choice sets the clock for everything else, including when the farewell can happen.
- Call the vet, crematory or pet cemetery to reserve a slot, and find out if they can hold your pet in cold storage in the meantime.
- Send one short message to the few people who should be there, with the time and place.
- Choose a spot and one small ritual: a lit candle, a song, a note beneath a paw, or their best-loved toy beside them.
- Hold the farewell, then hand your pet to the collection team or lay them to rest.
- Ask for the written total before collection, including any viewing or ceremony fee.
After the farewell: ways to keep the memory close
Households in Hillsborough often keep an animal's memory in the garden, with a stone by the path or a tree that flowers each spring around the anniversary. Smaller habits matter too: a framed photo by the door, a yearly gift to a shelter, stories told over dinner. Picking a single tradition the entire family shares tends to keep the memory warm without reopening the wound each time.
look through our guides and the blog, run the numbers with the free planning tools, or compare your instinct with the poll results, See what each option includes on our services page. Close to Hillsborough we also cover San Francisco, Fresno, San Diego and San Jose; the full list for California and for the United States is a click away.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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Who would you want at your pet's farewell?
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When would you hold the farewell?
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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 California?
For people, yes: about 70.5%[5] of California deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Hillsborough follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Will I have to travel to San Francisco to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in San Francisco (roughly 14 miles from Hillsborough) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
How does Hillsborough's weather affect pet aftercare?
September is the hottest month in Hillsborough, with average highs around 75°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Winters are mild, with average lows staying above freezing, so outdoor burial or scattering is usually possible year round.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Hillsborough?
Usually yes. Burlingame is about 2 miles away, Millbrae is about 2 miles away and San Mateo is about 3 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
How many families in Hillsborough lose a pet each year?
By our estimate, about 4,100 households in Hillsborough have a dog or cat, and around 340 of those pets die each year. We calculate this from the city's population, average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures. It's a floor rather than a ceiling, because households with several pets count once.
Can I scatter my pet's ashes in a park in Hillsborough?
Sometimes, with permission. Parks, beaches and nature reserves have their own rules, and many ask you to contact the park authority first. Private land needs the owner's permission. Choose a quiet time and spot away from paths and water intakes, scatter low and downwind, and consider keeping a little back in a keepsake.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 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] 39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 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] The NFDA projected California's cremation rate at 70.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] 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.
- [7] 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.
- [8] A full Hartsdale pet burial costs about 28 times as much as an average pet cremation. Our estimate: USD 7,000 / USD 250. How we calculate.
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.