A proper farewell for your pet in Eagan
About 24,500 Eagan 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 Eagan by email
Eagan, Minnesota
Choosing where the farewell happens in Eagan
Eagan sits beside the airport, and plenty of residents travel for work. If your pet dies during a trip, in the care of a sitter or a kennel, the guilt of not being there can be heavy. Ask the caregiver or clinic to hold your companion until you return if possible, so you can still say goodbye and choose aftercare yourself.
Young children often ask direct questions, such as where the animal went or whether it will come back. Simple, honest answers work best: its body stopped working and it can't come back, but we can remember it. Picture books about pet loss, which many libraries carry, can help open the conversation and show kids that sadness is normal and shared by the adults around them.
People in a town the size of Eagan tend to know each other, and that shapes a pet's farewell. Neighbors may want to come, the vet may know your pet well, and the local minister or priest may be happy to say a few words if asked. Decide early how public or private you want it to be, and say so kindly.
With roughly 67,109 residents, Eagan is the 13th-largest of the 67 Minnesota communities we cover. Saint Paul, roughly 10 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Eagan run from there.
The closest communities we cover are Inver Grove Heights (5 miles), Apple Valley (5 miles) and Rosemount (7 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Eagan too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
24,500
Eagan: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
67,109 ÷ 2.5 = 26,844 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 24,500. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
2,050
Eagan families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
24,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,050 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.
The numbers above come from American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, if you'd like to read the original sources.
How Minnesota thinks about funerals and cremation
When a place splits its funerals between burial and cremation, as Minnesota does with about 68.5%[5] cremated, local providers usually offer both, and the choice often comes down to one question: do you want a place to visit, or something to keep close? A grave fixes the memorial to one spot; ashes can move house with you.
The Minnesota 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 Eagan, not as a count of pets.
How the seasons in Eagan affect the day
Some families in Eagan with an old or failing pet dig the garden grave in autumn, before the ground locks up in January, February, March, November 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.
Home vet visits still happen through Eagan 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 January if you can. Warm the room well beforehand too; an old pet who is shivering is harder to settle.
Where the money goes in an Eagan pet funeral
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 Eagan crematories whether a short viewing is already included before paying for a separate appointment.
The full price table by product is on our Minnesota 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.
Permissions to check in Minnesota before the ceremony
Most of what happens at a pet funeral is up to you. The exceptions are home burial, which Minnesota 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.
Not sure which office covers Eagan? The Minnesota local government directory is the official list.
For Minnesota's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Minnesota guide. Local rules in Eagan can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
A simple plan for the hours ahead
- 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. Everything else, the timing of the goodbye included, follows from this single decision.
- 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, and afterwards either bury your pet or pass them over to whoever is collecting.
- Ask for the written total ahead of the pickup, with any viewing or ceremony charge included.
Remembering your pet in Eagan
Some families mark the anniversary of a loss each year with a small ritual: a donation to an animal shelter, a walk around a lake, or dinner where everyone shares a favorite memory. It doesn't need to be formal. Having a set day to remember can make it easier to carry on the rest of the year, knowing the memory has a place.
or look at how readers voted in our polls, Compare every option on our services page, use the free tools before you ring anyone, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles. Close to Eagan we also cover Bloomington, Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth; the full list for Minnesota and for the United States is a click away.
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.
What kind of goodbye feels right for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Who would you want at your pet's 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
Will I have to travel to Saint Paul to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Saint Paul (roughly 10 miles from Eagan) 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.
Is Eagan big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 24,500 Eagan households keep a dog or cat and around 2,050 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 67,109), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Is cremation common in Minnesota?
For people, yes: about 68.5%[5] of Minnesota 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 Eagan follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
How does Eagan's weather affect pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Eagan, with average highs around 83°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February, March, November and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
How much is a pet cemetery plot near Eagan?
It varies more than almost any other pet funeral cost. Across 15 US pet cemeteries, starting burial prices had a median of ~$600[9], while a typical full burial runs $1,500–$2,000[10] once opening, closing and a marker are added. Burying ashes in a cemetery plot usually costs less than a whole-body burial. Ask cemeteries near Eagan for the plot, opening fee and care fees separately.
Is it normal to grieve this hard after a pet's funeral?
Yes. In an RSPCA survey of more than 4,000 bereaved owners, 66.9%[11] said they were surprised by how intense their grief was. The farewell often brings the loss home rather than ending it. Be patient with yourself, keep eating and sleeping as best you can, and talk to someone who understands. Our grief check-in can help you notice when it may be time to ask for more support.
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 Minnesota's cremation rate at 68.5% 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] 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] Across 15 US pet cemeteries' posted starting burial prices, the median entry price was about $600. Our estimate: median of starting prices [400,185,300,550,575,99,660.44,730,740,850,850,800,850,600,600]. How we calculate.
- [10] 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.
- [11] 66.9% of respondents were surprised by how intense their grief was after losing a pet. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
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.