Pet funerals and farewells in Sioux Falls
By our estimate, about 78,500 households in Sioux Falls have a dog or a cat, and roughly 6,550 of those pets die each year. Every one of those families decides how to say goodbye. Here's how to plan yours.
- Small, personal goodbyes that fit your family
- Questions to ask any provider or cemetery
- No pressure, no packages you don't need
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
A goodbye that fits life in Sioux Falls
The long South Dakota winter can make grief feel heavier and lonelier. If you've lost a pet in the cold months, try to get outside when the sun is out, keep in touch with friends, and consider a pet loss support group or counselor. Marking the first spring with a tree planted in your pet's memory gives many families something to look forward to.
A pet's farewell in Sioux Falls often has a practical, family-centered feel: a few words at home, a prayer, children saying goodbye before collection. In winter, some families hold a small gathering indoors and plan a spring burial or tree planting for later. Let us know in your request if you'd like to attend any part of the process, and we'll include providers who welcome families.
Around Sioux Falls, people beyond the family may have known your pet too: the dog walker, the groomer, the neighbours who fed them treats over the fence. A short message or a note on a community board lets them know, and some will want to come or send a card. It also spares you telling the story again and again.
With roughly 213,748 residents, Sioux Falls is the largest of the 10 South Dakota communities we cover.
For a second opinion on price, Brookings (53 miles), Yankton (56 miles) and Mitchell (67 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Sioux Falls routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
78,500
Sioux Falls: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
213,748 ÷ 2.5 = 85,499 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 78,500. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
6,550
Sioux Falls families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
78,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 6,550 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 American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science; we only apply it to this.
How South Dakota thinks about funerals and cremation
About 53.2%[5] of people in South Dakota are cremated, so both traditions sit side by side here. Some families will instinctively want to bury their pet, others to bring the ashes home. A farewell works with either: a graveside moment in the garden or a pet cemetery, or a short ceremony before the pet is collected for cremation.
Source for the South Dakota number: NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Sioux Falls, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
Sioux Falls weather and your pet's farewell
Some families in Sioux Falls 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.
Snow and ice across January, February, March, November 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.
Where the money goes in a Sioux Falls pet funeral
If you'd like the goodbye to happen at home, the vet's visit is often the biggest single cost: at-home dog euthanasia averages about $410[6] nationally, against $139[7] in a clinic. Add cremation or burial, then whatever you choose for the farewell itself. Prices in Sioux Falls will sit around these national figures, higher in costlier areas.
Prices for Sioux Falls track the wider South Dakota market, so use the South Dakota 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.
What South Dakota allows for burial and scattering
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 South Dakota for burying at home and scattering ashes.
South Dakota keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Sioux Falls.
We keep South Dakota's burial and scattering rules in one place: the South Dakota rules summary. Before a home burial in Sioux Falls, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
Planning a farewell in Sioux Falls, step by step
- Ask the clinic for a quiet room and some time, even if the decision was made in a rush. You don't have to leave straight away.
- Don't sign the aftercare form on the spot if you're unsure. Ask the clinic to keep your pet in their cold room for a day while you think.
- Find out which crematory the practice uses, then ask if you're free to pick another provider, or to bring your pet home and bury them yourself.
- Request a paw print or a clipping of fur while your pet is still in the room; once they've gone it's far harder to organize.
- If family couldn't get there in time, ask whether they can visit the clinic to say goodbye before the collection.
- Get the aftercare price on its own line, separate from the medical bill, so you can see what the farewell part costs.
- Pencil in a gathering for later, for when the ashes are back or at the graveside, for the people who missed the day.
After the farewell: ways to keep the memory close
Plains families can be reserved about grief, and some people feel they should just get on with things after a pet dies. But the loss of a companion animal can be heavy, especially in a long winter when a pet is company through dark evenings. It's fine to take it seriously. Talking with family, looking at photos, or joining an online pet loss group can help.
or see how other readers answered in our polls, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, browse in-depth guides or recent articles. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Rapid City, Brookings, Yankton and Aberdeen, and every city in South Dakota.
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.
When would you hold the farewell?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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
Roughly how many pets die in Sioux Falls each year?
Our estimate is around 6,550. It comes from Sioux Falls's population (about 213,748), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 78,500 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Sioux Falls?
Usually yes. Brookings is about 53 miles away, Yankton is about 56 miles away and Mitchell is about 67 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Does the Sioux Falls climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 85°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.
Why does the Sioux Falls 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 53.2%[5] of South Dakota residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Can I be there when my pet is cremated if I live in Sioux Falls?
Possibly, but it may mean a drive. Smaller places often send pets to a crematory in a larger centre such as Sioux Falls, so ask your vet which one they use and call it directly. Some families take their pet there themselves, hold the farewell in the car park or a quiet room, and stay while the cremation begins.
How much is a pet cemetery plot near Sioux Falls?
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 Sioux Falls for the plot, opening fee and care fees separately.
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 South Dakota's cremation rate at 53.2% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] 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.
- [7] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for in-clinic dog euthanasia at $139 (range $110-$253). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 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.
- [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.
Get pet farewell options in Sioux Falls
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.