Planning a goodbye for your pet in Orem
Around 2,900 Orem 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.
- Real costs, not guesswork
- Ideas for including children gently
- Options that serve Orem by email
Orem, Utah
How families in Orem say goodbye to a pet
A family farewell can be as simple as you like. Many Orem households gather on the lawn or around the couch, trade a few memories, and let children lay a note or a flower beside their pet before it is carried out. If euthanasia happens at home, ask the vet to leave some quiet time before the aftercare provider knocks.
Some people find the first holidays hardest, especially in a city where family gatherings anchor the calendar. Setting out a framed photo, lighting a candle, or sharing a funny memory of the pet over dinner can make the empty spot easier to mention. If grief still disrupts ordinary days a month or two later, a therapist with pet-bereavement experience can help.
Home burial is more common in towns like Orem, especially where families have land. A graveside farewell in your own garden or field can be one of the most personal goodbyes there is. Check the depth and distance-from-water rules for Utah, pick a spot away from wells and drains, and think about whether you'll stay on the property long term.
With roughly 95,214 residents, Orem is the 7th-largest of the 52 Utah communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Salt Lake City, about 34 miles (54 km) away, which is where some providers serving Orem are based.
The closest communities we cover are Provo (5 miles), Pleasant Grove (6 miles) and American Fork (7 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Orem too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
35,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Orem
How we calculated this
95,214 ÷ 2.5 = 38,086 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 35,000. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
2,900
Orem families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
35,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,900 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 Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry; we only apply it to this.
How Utah thinks about funerals and cremation
In Utah, about 46.1%[5] of people are cremated, so some relatives may feel uneasy about cremating a pet. It helps to explain that cremation can still include a graveside moment: the ashes can be buried in the garden or a pet cemetery with the same words, flowers and people you'd have at a burial, just on a day you choose.
The Utah 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 Orem, not as a count of pets.
Orem weather and your pet's farewell
If you're planning a home goodbye for an old or ill pet in Orem, the calendar is worth a look. In June, July and August, book a morning visit before the house warms up; in January, February, November and December, a midday slot avoids icy driveways and early dark. Beyond that, choose the time of day your pet usually rests most easily.
Pet cemeteries around places like Orem often have seasonal rhythms: fewer burials when the ground is frozen, more in spring. Ask whether a winter burial is possible, whether they'll hold a service and bury later, and whether summer weekends book up. Knowing this early helps you pick a date the whole family can make.
Pet funeral and burial prices for families in Orem
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 Orem crematories whether a short viewing is already included before paying for a separate appointment.
Prices for Orem track the wider Utah market, so use the Utah 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.
Permissions to check in Utah before the ceremony
Rules for ashes are usually looser than rules for a body, because cremated remains are dry, processed bone rather than tissue. That's why burying or scattering ashes is often the simpler route to a graveside or outdoor ceremony. Here are the notes for Utah on both.
Utah keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Orem.
The rules that apply across Utah (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our Utah page. Orem may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
From first call to farewell: the steps
- Decide who needs to be there. A small circle is easier to gather in a day; a bigger gathering can come later.
- Pick the place: cemetery, crematory farewell room, the route of a favorite walk, the garden, or simply home.
- Check anything that needs permission, such as scattering in a park or burying on land you don't own.
- Plan a loose running order: arrival, an opening, shared memories, a song or reading, a small ritual, then the goodbye.
- Arrange the handover or the burial to follow the ceremony immediately, rather than leaving people standing about.
- Look after yourself afterwards. Eat something, let people help, and put the lead away only when you're ready.
Remembering your pet in Orem
Orem has a large student population, and for many people at the university a pet is the first animal they have cared for on their own. Losing that companion far from family can feel isolating. Free pet-loss helplines run by veterinary schools will talk with anyone, the campus counseling office may also help, and roommates often turn out to be a real support once you tell them.
Our services overview lays out every option side by side, or see what other families chose in the poll results, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Lehi, St. George, West Valley City and West Jordan, and every city in Utah.
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?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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
Will I have to travel to Salt Lake City to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Salt Lake City (roughly 34 miles from Orem) 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 Orem big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 35,000 Orem households keep a dog or cat and around 2,900 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 95,214), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Orem?
January, February, November 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 95°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
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 Orem follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
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%[9] 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.
Can we hold a graveside service in Orem when the ground is frozen?
Some pet cemeteries can open a grave in frozen ground with the right equipment; others hold a service now and bury later, once it thaws. For a garden burial, many families cremate in winter and bury the ashes in spring with a small ceremony. Ask any cemetery what they do in winter before choosing a date.
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] 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] A full Hartsdale pet burial costs about 28 times as much as an average pet cremation. Our estimate: USD 7,000 / USD 250. How we calculate.
- [9] 66.9% of respondents were surprised by how intense their grief was after losing a pet. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
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