A proper farewell for your pet in Cicero
Around 2,500 Cicero 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.
- Small, personal goodbyes that fit your family
- Questions to ask any provider or cemetery
- No pressure, no packages you don't need
Cicero, Illinois
Where a goodbye can happen in Cicero
Grief can come back unexpectedly, on the first cold morning when the cat is not waiting by the radiator, or at a holiday when the family gathers. That is normal. Some pet bereavement hotlines have Spanish-speaking staff, and online groups are open late for people who work long or night shifts. You do not need to explain or justify how much the loss hurts.
In Cicero, a pet's death is often felt by several generations under one roof. Grandparents may grieve differently than teenagers or young children, and all of those reactions are real. A short farewell at home, with a candle, a prayer or a few words in whatever language feels natural, lets everyone say goodbye before collection. Younger children may want to hold a paw or tuck a toy beside the animal.
Pet cemeteries are rarer in and around Cicero, so families who want a permanent grave often choose the garden instead, or bury the ashes after cremation. If you rent, or might move, burying ashes in a large planter or keeping them at home keeps the memorial portable while still giving you a graveside moment.
With roughly 81,858 residents, Cicero is the 11th-largest of the 151 Illinois communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Cicero are based about 7 miles away in Chicago, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
For a second opinion on price, Berwyn (2 miles), Oak Park (3 miles) and Brookfield (5 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Cicero routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
30,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Cicero
How we calculated this
81,858 ÷ 2.5 = 32,743 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 30,000. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
2,500
Cicero families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
30,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,500 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.
Sources for the statistics above: 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
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.
That Illinois rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Cicero only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Planning around heat, cold and rain in Cicero
Snow and ice across January, February, March and December can delay collection and make roads unsafe for relatives driving in. If your pet is old or very ill and a winter storm is forecast, it's reasonable to ask your vet now how a home goodbye and collection would work in bad weather, rather than on the night.
Some families in Cicero with an old or failing pet dig the garden grave in autumn, before the ground locks up in January, February, March and December, and cover it with boards and a tarp. It can feel bleak to do, but it means a winter goodbye can end in the garden, as planned, instead of waiting months for the thaw.
What a pet funeral costs in Cicero
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 Cicero crematories whether a short viewing is already included before paying for a separate appointment.
The full price table by product is on our Illinois page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
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 Illinois
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 Illinois.
Not sure which office covers Cicero? The Illinois local government directory is the official list.
The Illinois page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Cicero's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
From first call to farewell: the steps
- Find a small box and soft bedding, for instance a shoebox with a piece of cloth inside, or the nesting material they used themselves.
- Choose between cremation and a garden grave. Tiny pets leave very little ash, so ask the crematory how they keep it separate and what it comes back in.
- For a garden grave, pick a spot on land you expect to keep, check the local rules, and plan a marker such as a flat stone or a pot plant.
- Invite whoever looked after them, and that can be just a parent and a child. Small creatures leave surprisingly large holes.
- Say a few words or read a note, then lay a flower or a pinch of their favorite food on the lid.
- Clear the cage, hutch or tank slowly over a few days, rather than the same afternoon, so the room doesn't feel suddenly empty.
After the farewell: ways to keep the memory close
Families in Cicero may mark a loss with a votive lit each year, a framed photo in the hallway, or a place on the ofrenda each fall. Children can draw pictures or write letters to the pet. Some families adopt again from a shelter when they feel ready, as a way of passing on the love, while others wait a long time, and both are fine.
try the free planning tools, or compare your instinct with the poll results, See what each option includes on our services page, look through our guides and the blog. If you live between Cicero and Rockford, Chicago, Joliet and Elgin, either page applies. Every other community in Illinois, and all of the United States, 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.
Should young children be part of a pet's goodbye?
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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
Which nearby towns can I compare with Cicero?
The closest communities we cover are Berwyn (about 2 miles), Oak Park (about 3 miles) and Brookfield (about 5 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Cicero too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is cremation common in Illinois?
For people, yes: about 60.2%[5] of Illinois 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 Cicero follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Roughly how many pets die in Cicero each year?
Our estimate is around 2,500. It comes from Cicero's population (about 81,858), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 30,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
How does Cicero's weather affect pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Cicero, with average highs around 85°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February, March and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
How much does a pet funeral cost in Cicero?
The farewell itself can cost almost nothing if you hold it at home. The main costs are body care: in the US, private dog cremation averages about $260[9] and pet cemetery burial about $831[10]. A home visit from the vet for the goodbye averages about $410[11]. Viewings, witnessed cremation, flowers and a headstone add to that, so ask Cicero providers for a written, itemized total.
What if there's no pet cemetery near Cicero?
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.
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] 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] 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.
- [9] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for private dog cremation at $260 (range $206-$473). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [10] 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.
- [11] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for at-home dog euthanasia at $410 (range $325-$747). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
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