A proper farewell for your pet in Redmond
Around 2,550 Redmond 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
Redmond, Washington
What planning a pet funeral in Redmond is like
Long hours and demanding jobs are common in Redmond, and it's easy to feel you should get back to the screen the next morning. Take the time anyway. Many employers now recognize pet bereavement, and a day or two off to be with family, plant something or simply rest is a reasonable request after an animal has been part of the household for years.
A bike ride along the river trail, a picnic in the meadow or an evening with a candle and the animal's collar on the table can all mark the day. Some Redmond families wait until the sunnier months to hold a remembrance outdoors. Cremated remains are stable indefinitely, so the timing can follow the weather and the people who want to attend.
Witnessed cremation is harder to arrange from a small town like Redmond, because the nearest crematory may be an hour or more away. If being present matters to you, ask your vet which crematory they use and call it directly. Some families drive their pet there themselves, which also means the journey becomes part of the goodbye.
With roughly 82,506 residents, Redmond is the 17th-largest of the 67 Washington communities we cover. Seattle, roughly 11 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Redmond run from there.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Sammamish (3 miles), Kirkland (4 miles) and Bellevue (6 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
30,500
Redmond: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
82,506 ÷ 2.5 = 33,002 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 30,500. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
2,550
Redmond families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
30,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,550 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.
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 Washington thinks about funerals and cremation
About 79.1%[5] of people in Washington are cremated, so most families here have been to a cremation service and know how one feels. That familiarity carries over to pets: a viewing before cremation, a few words said and ashes brought home is a pattern people recognise. It also means crematories are well established, and a farewell room or witnessed cremation is easier to find.
Source for the Washington number: Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Redmond, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
When the weather shapes the goodbye
Even in mild Redmond weather, a pet's body shouldn't be left outside or in a car while you wait for people to arrive. Keep them indoors, somewhere cool and away from direct sun, with a blanket beneath. If the wait will be longer than a day, ask the vet or crematory to hold your pet and plan a viewing.
In a mild place like Redmond, many families hold two farewells: a quiet one on the day, and a celebration of life in the garden or a park a few weeks later, when the ashes are home. The weather rarely gets in the way, so pick the date that suits people, such as a weekend or the pet's birthday.
What a pet funeral costs in Redmond
Ask every provider in Redmond to split the quote in two: body care (collection, cremation or burial, the container) and the farewell (viewing time, witnessed cremation, a graveside service). Seeing the two numbers apart makes it easy to drop what you don't need. The national figures below show what's typical.
The full price table by product is on our Washington 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.
Before you dig or scatter in Washington
A grave in the garden stays with the house when you sell it, which is the question few people ask at the graveside. Before you bury, think about where you'll be living in five or ten years, then check the Washington notes below.
To find your county or city office in Washington, start with the official Washington local government directory.
Start with the Washington rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat Redmond's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
From first call to farewell: the steps
- Ask the clinic for a quiet room and some time, whether or not everything happened quickly. There's no rule that says you must walk out right after.
- Don't sign the aftercare form on the spot if you're unsure. The practice can hold your pet in cold storage for a day; ask for that and take the time to decide.
- Find out which crematory the practice uses, and whether you can choose a different one or take your pet home for burial instead.
- Request a paw print or a clipping of fur before your pet leaves the room; it's much harder to arrange later.
- If family couldn't get there in time, ask if the clinic will let them come in for their own goodbye before the pickup.
- 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.
Marking the loss, now and later
Families who've recently relocated to Redmond may be grieving far from parents, siblings and old friends who knew the animal. Video calls to share memories can help, as can online groups that meet across time zones. Veterinary college grief lines are free, and many local therapists see clients online in the evening, which makes it easier to fit support around work and school pickups.
run the numbers with the free planning tools, or see how other readers answered in our polls, there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details, The services page is the place to compare what is included. Close to Redmond we also cover Seattle, Spokane, Bellevue and Tacoma; the full list for Washington 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.
When would you hold the farewell?
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
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Redmond?
There is no frozen-ground season here; average lows stay above freezing all year. The other pressure point is August, when highs around 77°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Redmond?
The closest communities we cover are Sammamish (about 3 miles), Kirkland (about 4 miles) and Bellevue (about 6 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Redmond too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is cremation common in Washington?
For people, yes: about 79.1%[5] of Washington deaths end in cremation, according to Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Redmond follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
How many pet owners live in Redmond?
By our estimate, about 30,500 households in Redmond have at least one dog or cat, and around 2,550 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 82,506, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Is an outdoor pet farewell practical in Redmond?
For most of the year, yes. Redmond's mild climate makes a garden ceremony, a tree planting or a gathering at a favorite park easy to arrange within days. Have a covered area or an indoor room ready in case of rain, keep the outdoor part short for older relatives, and don't leave your pet's body outside while you wait.
What's a viewing, and do I need one?
A viewing is unhurried time with your pet in a private room, usually at the crematory, vet or a funeral home, before cremation or burial. You don't need one, but it helps if you weren't there at the end, if relatives are arriving from out of town, or if children need to see that their pet has really died.
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] Washington had a 79.1% cremation rate in 2024, among the highest in the US. Direct Cremate (citing CANA), 2024.
- [6] 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.
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.