Saying goodbye to your pet in Broomfield, your way
Around 2,450 Broomfield 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.
- A simple running order you can print
- Graveside and home ceremony guidance
- Help with timing around the weather
Broomfield, Colorado
A goodbye that fits life in Broomfield
Grief often comes in waves, especially in the first weeks when feeding times, the evening routine or the sound of a pet at the door suddenly stop. Changing those routines slowly, rather than all at once, is kinder on yourself. If sadness is still heavy after a month, a therapist who works with animal loss or a bereavement circle in the Boulder or Denver area can help you find your footing.
Some Broomfield families mark a pet's life on the first anniversary with a stroll along a favorite open space trail, a spring planting or a photo on the fridge. Cremation is chosen for most people who die in Colorado, so holding ashes at home for years, or letting some go later in the foothills, is a familiar path. Whatever you choose, it can wait until you are ready.
Working dogs, barn cats and old ponies are part of family life around Broomfield, and their farewells often happen where they worked: by the barn, at the edge of the field or on the porch step. A few words from whoever worked alongside them and a quiet minute with the other animals nearby honours the job they did.
About 79,174 people live in Broomfield, which makes it the 16th-largest of the 36 Colorado communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Denver, about 15 miles (24 km) away, which is where some providers serving Broomfield are based.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Lafayette (4 miles), Northglenn (5 miles) and Louisville (5 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
29,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Broomfield
How we calculated this
79,174 ÷ 2.5 = 31,670 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 29,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
2,450
Broomfield families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
29,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,450 a year. Treat it as a minimum.
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.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry; we only apply it to this.
Local customs and your pet's farewell
About 77.4%[5] of people in Colorado 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.
Source for the Colorado number: NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Broomfield, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
Seasons, timing and ceremonies in Broomfield
Home vet visits still happen through Broomfield winters, but icy steps and early darkness slow everyone down. Clear and grit the path, leave the porch light on and book a daytime slot in December if you can. Warm the room well beforehand too; an old pet who is shivering is harder to settle.
It's tempting to keep your pet in an unheated garage or shed through January, February, March, November and December until the ground softens. For a few days that can work, in a closed box off the floor and sealed from wildlife, but over weeks the temperature swings too much. For a spring burial, cremation now and burying the ashes later is kinder and simpler.
Budgeting for a farewell in Broomfield
It helps to see the whole bill at once. By our estimate, a typical US dog's end-of-life care comes to about $670 with a home euthanasia and private cremation, against about $399 when the goodbye happens in the clinic [6]. The farewell on top can be as small as a candle or as large as a cemetery service, so decide where the goodbye happens first.
Prices for Broomfield track the wider Colorado market, so use the Colorado price table as your baseline and the services page to see what is included.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Before you dig or scatter in Colorado
Before you plan a graveside ceremony in the garden or a scattering on a favorite walk, check the local rules. They're mostly about protecting water and other people's land, so they focus on depth, distance from wells and streams, and permission from whoever owns the land. Here's the picture for Colorado.
Not sure which office covers Broomfield? The Colorado local government directory is the official list.
For Colorado's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Colorado guide. Local rules in Broomfield can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
What to do first, and what can wait
- Choose a day while your pet still has good moments, book the home visit, and settle the aftercare plan in the same phone call.
- Fill the days before with small favorites: an unhurried walk, a sunny spot on the floor, the food they're normally not allowed.
- Decide who will hold your pet and who would rather wait in another room. Both are loving choices, and nobody should be talked into either.
- Set out the blanket you're happy to send with them, with any drawing, note or toy that should go into the cremation or grave too.
- When the vet has finished, take as long as you need. An hour's delay on the pickup is fine, and the vet can leave the room if you'd rather be alone.
- Walk out to the car or van with your pet should you want to. Teams often carry pets on a basket or stretcher and are glad to let you take one end.
After the farewell: ways to keep the memory close
Broomfield's family neighborhoods mean a pet is often known to kids and adults up and down the street. When one dies, a quiet farewell at home gives your household a moment together before collection. A short note to close neighbors, particularly those whose children knew your pet, spares everyone awkward questions later and lets others share the loss. Grief shared tends to feel a little lighter.
use the free tools before you ring anyone, or see how other readers answered in our polls, browse in-depth guides or recent articles, Every option Broomfield families choose between is on the services page. Close to Broomfield we also cover Denver, Thornton, Fort Collins and Aurora; the full list for Colorado 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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Should young children be part of a pet's goodbye?
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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 Broomfield big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 29,000 Broomfield households keep a dog or cat and around 2,450 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 79,174), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
How do Colorado attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Colorado human cremation rate at about 77.4%[5]. We show it on the Broomfield page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Broomfield?
The closest communities we cover are Lafayette (about 4 miles), Northglenn (about 5 miles) and Louisville (about 5 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Broomfield too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Does the Broomfield climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 88°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February, March, November and December, when lows sit below freezing, a home burial may have to wait for a thaw, so cremation with ashes returned keeps your options open.
Can I scatter my pet's ashes in a park in Broomfield?
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.
Can I keep my pet in the garage until spring in Broomfield?
For a few days in cold weather, a sealed container raised off the concrete in an unheated garage can work, as long as wildlife and other pets can't get in. For weeks, it rarely does: temperatures swing above freezing on sunny days. If you want a spring burial, choose cremation now and bury the ashes when the ground softens, or ask a pet cemetery whether they can hold your pet.
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 Colorado's cremation rate at 77.4% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] A typical US dog end-of-life bill is about $670 with at-home euthanasia plus private cremation, versus about $399 with clinic euthanasia plus private cremation. Our estimate: 410 + 260 = 670; 139 + 260 = 399. How we calculate.
- [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.
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