Saying goodbye to your pet in Burbank, your way
About 10,500 Burbank 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.
- Real costs, not guesswork
- Ideas for including children gently
- Options that serve Burbank by email
Burbank, Illinois
How families in Burbank say goodbye to a pet
The quiet after a pet dies can be the hardest part, especially in a small house where the animal was always underfoot. Some people find comfort in talking with neighbors who knew the pet, or in a support group their vet recommends. Phone and online pet-loss services are available too, and there's no set timeline for feeling better; some days will simply be harder than others.
A farewell in Burbank might be a few family members around the kitchen table, a prayer or a poem, and a candle lit next to a photograph. Children can draw pictures, make a memory box or choose a plant for the front garden. Some families hold the gathering when the ashes come home, while others wait for the pet's birthday or the first warm spring weekend.
Witnessed cremation is harder to arrange from a small town like Burbank, because the nearest crematory may be an hour or more away. If being present matters to you, ask your vet which crematory they use and call it directly. Some families drive their pet there themselves, which also means the journey becomes part of the goodbye.
With roughly 28,578 residents, Burbank is the 73rd-largest of the 151 Illinois communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Burbank are based about 12 miles away in Chicago, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
Burbank sits within easy reach of Oak Lawn (2 miles), Evergreen Park (4 miles) and Palos Hills (4 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Burbank; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
10,500
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Burbank
How we calculated this
28,578 ÷ 2.5 = 11,431 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 10,500. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
880
Estimated dog and cat losses in Burbank each year
How we calculated this
10,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 880 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.
Funeral traditions in Illinois and your pet
Some pet cemeteries also run a crematory, which suits Illinois, with cremation at roughly 60.2%[5] and burial still common. If there's one near you, you can see a grave site and ask about cremation in the same visit, then decide with both options in front of you rather than on the phone.
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) is where the Illinois figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Burbank tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
How the seasons in Burbank affect the day
Burbank winters are cold, with average lows at or below freezing in January, February, March and December. Frozen ground can make a garden burial impossible for weeks, which is one reason many local families choose cremation in winter and hold a graveside ceremony for the ashes in spring. It gives the farewell a second moment everyone can plan for.
If you'd hoped to bury your pet in a Burbank garden in winter, ask a pet cemetery whether they can open a grave in frozen ground. Some can with the right equipment, some hold pets until the thaw, and some offer a winter service with the burial done later. Ask what happens and when before you choose.
What a pet funeral costs in Burbank
For a burial with all the trimmings, a full pet funeral-home package with viewing, memorial service, casket and burial is estimated at $700–$1,000[6]. A review of 15 US pet cemeteries puts a typical pet burial at $1,500–$2,000[7], though starting prices vary widely. Families in Burbank can keep a graveside ceremony for less by burying ashes rather than a body.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Illinois: Illinois 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.
Local rules worth checking in Illinois
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 Illinois for burying at home and scattering ashes.
Not sure which office covers Burbank? The Illinois local government directory is the official list.
For Illinois's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Illinois guide. Local rules in Burbank can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
A simple plan for the hours ahead
- 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 so your pet looks asleep; do this inside the first two hours or so, while the body is still supple.
- 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 if they want to. Many owners feel it helps the pets left behind understand the empty bed.
- If it's the middle of the night and the house is cool, the calls can wait for daylight. Nobody minds if you spend one last quiet night beside them.
- Before collection or burial, hold ten minutes of goodbye, so that the last thing you remember is your own farewell and not an unfamiliar face at the door.
Anniversaries, gatherings and quiet reminders
In Burbank, many households would sooner hold the goodbye in the living room or on the back porch, rather than make a car trip with a sick animal. Ask your vet whether they, or a mobile service on the Southwest Side, can come to the house. Pick a collection time that lets the family gather and say goodbye without watching the door.
The services page is the place to compare what is included, or compare your instinct with the poll results, browse in-depth guides or recent articles, use the free tools before you ring anyone. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Elgin, Aurora, Joliet and Rockford, and every city in Illinois.
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.
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
Why does the Burbank page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) reports about 60.2%[5] of Illinois residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Is Burbank big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 10,500 Burbank households keep a dog or cat and around 880 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 28,578), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Burbank?
January, February, March and December: average lows are below freezing then, and frozen ground makes a home grave slow or impossible until it thaws. The other pressure point is July, when highs around 85°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Will I have to travel to Chicago to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Chicago (roughly 12 miles from Burbank) 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.
What if there's no pet cemetery near Burbank?
That's common in smaller places. Families often choose a garden burial where rules allow, or cremation followed by burying the ashes, which needs only a small hole and can happen whenever suits. If you want a cemetery grave, look toward a larger centre such as Chicago, and ask whether they'll hold a graveside service when you arrive.
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.
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 Illinois's cremation rate at 60.2% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Titan Casket estimates a full pet funeral-home burial package (viewing, memorial service, casket, burial and funeral director) at $700–$1,000. Titan Casket – How Much Do Pet Funeral Homes Charge, 2026.
- [7] Furever Memorials' review of 15 US pet cemeteries puts the typical pet burial at $1,500–$2,000. Furever Memorials – Pet Burial Cost (15 cemeteries), 2025.
- [8] Across five posted US pet-cemetery price lists, the median whole-body burial for a small pet, including plot and opening/closing, was about $350. Our estimate: median of [Rainier $150 plot incl. first burial, Cedar Bend $290, Forest $350, Great River $750, Precious Memories $1,500]. 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.