A proper farewell for your pet in Herriman
About 23,500 Herriman 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.
- Small, personal goodbyes that fit your family
- Questions to ask any provider or cemetery
- No pressure, no packages you don't need
Herriman, Utah
Where a goodbye can happen in Herriman
Grief after losing a pet can surprise people with how physical it feels, from poor sleep to a knot in the stomach. Veterinary colleges run free helplines, online groups meet most evenings, and some counselors specialize in animal loss. If a family member is still struggling after several weeks, gently offering one of those options can make a real difference.
Some families in Herriman gather on the back patio at dusk, with the lights of the valley spread below, to swap memories of a pet. Others prefer a private moment in the exam room with only the vet present. There is no correct version. What matters is that the people who loved the animal most are included in whatever goodbye you choose.
If you live outside Herriman itself, on a farm or a long rural road, ask any provider whether they'll collect from your address and what the mileage adds. Some families bring their pet to the vet or the crematory to keep the cost down, and hold the farewell at home first, with the car ready and a favorite blanket for the journey.
With roughly 63,282 residents, Herriman is the 14th-largest of the 52 Utah communities we cover. Salt Lake City, roughly 20 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Herriman run from there.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Riverton (3 miles), Bluffdale (4 miles) and South Jordan (5 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
23,500
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Herriman
How we calculated this
63,282 ÷ 2.5 = 25,313 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 23,500. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
1,950
dog and cat deaths per year in Herriman, our estimate
How we calculated this
23,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,950 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.
We built the this numbers from Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
Faith, tradition and pet goodbyes in Utah
In Utah, cremation covers only around 46.1%[5] of deaths, so most families use a funeral home for relatives, and some funeral directors will quietly help with a pet: a room for an hour, a small casket, or the name of a pet cemetery they trust. It isn't usually advertised, so ask your family's funeral director directly.
That Utah rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Herriman only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Planning an outdoor goodbye in Herriman's climate
Garden markers in Herriman have to cope with summer sun near 94°F and frost through January, February and December. Granite and dense natural stone handle both; resin, painted wood and some cast concrete crack or fade within a few seasons. If you're choosing a marker for a grave or a tree, ask what it's made to withstand outdoors.
Herriman has both extremes: highs around 94°F in July and freezing lows in January, February and December. In summer, hold a home farewell within hours and keep your pet cool. In winter, you have more time but frozen ground, so many families choose cremation and bury the ashes in a spring or autumn ceremony.
The real cost of a pet goodbye in Herriman
The ceremony itself is rarely the expensive part of a pet funeral in Herriman. The cost sits in the body care underneath it: private dog cremation averages about $260[6] in the US, and pet cemetery burial about $831[7]. A viewing may be included or charged by the half hour, and a home farewell can cost almost nothing.
The full price table by product is on our Utah 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.
What Utah 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 Utah for burying at home and scattering ashes.
To find your county or city office in Utah, start with the official Utah local government directory.
Start with the Utah rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat Herriman's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
From first call to farewell: the steps
- Keep your pet cool and indoors, especially in warm weather, while you make calls.
- Ask whether a viewing room or witnessed cremation is possible, and how far ahead it needs booking.
- For a pet cemetery burial, ask about the plot, the opening fee, casket or shroud, and whether a graveside service is allowed on the day.
- For a home burial, read up on what Utah allows, pick ground clear of drains and water, and have the grave ready before people get there.
- Collect a keepsake first: a paw print, a clipping of fur, the collar and tags.
- Confirm the price in writing before the pickup is allowed to happen.
- Write down the date you're told the ashes will return, so you can plan what comes next.
The weeks and months after the goodbye
In a city this full of young children, many Herriman families face a pet's death alongside toddlers and school-age kids. Use simple, direct language, let children help choose a memorial, and expect the same questions to resurface for weeks, sometimes at bedtime. Adults can grieve too; taking a day to feel sad before routines carry on again is nothing to apologize for.
Every option Herriman families choose between is on the services page, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, or see how other readers answered in our polls, use the free tools before you ring anyone. If you live between Herriman and Provo, St. George, Lehi and West Valley City, either page applies. Every other community in Utah, 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.
Who would you want at your pet's farewell?
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
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Herriman?
Usually yes. Riverton is about 3 miles away, Bluffdale is about 4 miles away and South Jordan is about 5 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Where are the providers that serve Herriman actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Salt Lake City, about 20 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Herriman and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Is cremation common in Utah?
For people, yes: about 46.1%[5] of Utah 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 Herriman follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Does the Herriman climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 94°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February 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 bury my pet at home in Utah?
In many places, yes, with conditions such as depth, distance from wells and waterways and whether you own the land. Rules can differ within Utah, and homeowner associations and leases can be stricter. Check with your city or county before digging. If you might move, burying the ashes in a planter keeps the grave portable.
How many families in Herriman lose a pet each year?
By our estimate, about 23,500 households in Herriman have a dog or cat, and around 1,950 of those pets die each year. We calculate this from the city's population, average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures. It's a floor rather than a ceiling, because households with several pets count once.
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 Utah's cremation rate at 46.1% 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 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.
- [7] 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.
- [8] 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.
Get pet farewell options in Herriman
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.