Pet funeral services in Howard, Wisconsin
Around 680 Howard 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.
- A simple running order you can print
- Graveside and home ceremony guidance
- Help with timing around the weather
Howard, Wisconsin
A goodbye that fits life in Howard
In Howard's many young households, losing the family pet is often a child's introduction to death. Plain, truthful language works better than euphemisms, and kids cope better with a part to play: drawing a card, choosing a chew toy or ball to go along, or laying a dandelion on the blanket. If the family wants quiet time together before collection, ask the provider whether that's doable and what, if anything, it adds.
Missing an animal can shadow a whole winter, especially when a daily routine suddenly vanishes. Friends and coworkers who met your companion can help, as can free helplines staffed by veterinary students, internet support circles and counselors who take animal bereavement seriously. If a month goes by and the fog still hasn't lifted, a professional can help, and asking is nothing to feel awkward about.
Home burial is more common in towns like Howard, 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 Wisconsin, pick a spot away from wells and drains, and think about whether you'll stay on the property long term.
About 22,233 people live in Howard, which makes it the 38th-largest of the 50 Wisconsin communities we cover.
Howard sits within easy reach of Green Bay (5 miles, a larger centre), De Pere (10 miles) and Kaukauna (22 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Howard; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
8,200
How many dog- or cat-owning households Howard has (estimate)
How we calculated this
22,233 ÷ 2.5 = 8,893 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 8,200. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
680
Howard families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
8,200 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 680 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 Wisconsin
With cremation the choice for roughly 70.7%[5] of people in Wisconsin, plenty of families skip an open viewing for relatives and go straight to a memorial. You may feel the same about your pet, and that's fine. Others find a few quiet minutes with their pet's body makes the loss real in a helpful way. Ask each person what they want rather than assuming.
The Wisconsin figure comes from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Planning around heat, cold and rain in Howard
If you'd hoped to bury your pet in a Howard garden in winter, ask a pet cemetery whether they can open a grave in frozen ground. Some can with the right equipment, some hold pets until the thaw, and some offer a winter service with the burial done later. Ask what happens and when before you choose.
Winter farewells in Howard often move indoors, and that can be lovely: a fire or candles, a blanket, your pet on their own bed and the family close. If you want a symbolic outdoor moment, a single lantern placed in the snow at the spot where the grave or tree will go in spring is simple and memorable.
What a pet funeral costs in Howard
If cost is on your mind, you're in good company: in a survey of more than 2,000 US owners, 61% said the cost of body care worried them [6]. Cemetery burial is less alarming for smaller pets. Across five posted US price lists, the median whole-body burial for a small pet, plot and opening included, is ~$350[7] by our estimate. Ask cemeteries near Howard for a cremains plot price too.
Prices for Howard track the wider Wisconsin market, so use the Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin allows for burial and scattering
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 Wisconsin on both.
Wisconsin keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Howard.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Wisconsin level first; our Wisconsin rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Howard or your HOA adds anything.
A pet funeral within a day: how to do it
- Keep your pet cool and indoors, especially in warm weather, while you make calls.
- Ask whether a viewing room or witnessed cremation is possible, plus how much notice they need for either.
- For a pet cemetery burial, ask what the plot and grave opening cost, whether a casket or shroud is needed, and if a service at the grave is allowed that day.
- For a home burial, read up on what Wisconsin 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.
After the farewell: ways to keep the memory close
Some Howard families honor a companion with a spring outing on the Mountain Bay Trail, or by setting out a tree or a bed of tulips after the snow melts. Others keep a candle burning each year on the date. Nobody has to hurry any of this; remembering in your own way and at your own pace is completely fine, and it may look different for each person in the house.
or look at how readers voted in our polls, browse in-depth guides or recent articles, See what each option includes on our services page, run the numbers with the free planning tools. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton and Green Bay, and every city in Wisconsin.
Reader polls
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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
Roughly how many pets die in Howard each year?
Our estimate is around 680. It comes from Howard's population (about 22,233), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 8,200 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Howard?
The closest communities we cover are Green Bay (about 5 miles), De Pere (about 10 miles) and Kaukauna (about 22 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Howard too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
How do Wisconsin attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Wisconsin human cremation rate at about 70.7%[5]. We show it on the Howard page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Does the Howard climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 81°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.
Can I bring my pet home from the vet for a funeral in Howard?
Usually, yes. Ask the clinic to wrap your pet in a blanket or place them in a sturdy box, and bring a towel for the car. You may be asked to sign a release form. Once home, keep your pet cool and hold the farewell within a day, then bury them where local rules allow or call a crematory to collect. The vet can still arrange cremation later if you change your mind.
What can I send with my pet for cremation or burial?
Most crematories let a blanket, a letter, a drawing or a small soft toy go with your pet. Many ask you to remove metal tags, plastic toys and rubber collars, which don't burn cleanly, so keep those as keepsakes instead. For a garden grave, choose natural materials such as cotton, wool or untreated wood. If something must come back to you, say so before the handover, not after.
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 Wisconsin's cremation rate at 70.7% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] 61% of US owners in the Cooney survey rated the cost of after-death body care as a concern (27.9% concerned, 33.1% very concerned). Cooney, Kogan, Brooks, Ellis - Pet Owners' Expectations for Pet End-of-Life Support and After-Death Body Care, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine (2020), 2020.
- [7] 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.
- [8] 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.
Plan your pet's farewell with us
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