Dog cremation price explained: Heres what you need to know about the cost.

Okay, so, my old buddy, my dog, he passed away last week. It was tough, man, really tough. I’d had him since he was a pup, and we’d been through a lot together. I knew this part was coming, but it didn’t make it any easier. Anyway, I had to figure out what to do with him, you know? Burial wasn’t really an option for me, so I started looking into cremation.

First thing I did was hit up Google, just typed in “dog cremation prices” or something like that. I found a bunch of different places and started calling around. Got some wild numbers, I gotta tell you. It’s like, they know you’re in a tough spot and they’re trying to take advantage of you.

So I started making a list. A real pen-and-paper list. One place said they could do it for like $795, but that was just for what they called “direct cremation.” It means they just cremate him, no service, no viewing, nothing. I guess that’s the cheapest way, but it didn’t feel right, you know?

Another place quoted me $349 for a private cremation, which meant I could get his ashes back. I thought this one might be the right one. They said they’d pick him up and do the cremation the next day, then ship the ashes back to me. Seemed legit, and they were pretty nice on the phone.

• Direct cremation: $795 (no service, just the cremation)
• Private cremation: $349 (get the ashes back, shipped via UPS)

Then I found some more info online, some websites saying it could be as low as $40 to $200 for something called “communal cremation.” That’s where they cremate a bunch of pets together. I don’t know, that didn’t sit right with me either. My dog wasn’t just some random animal, he was family. I read a bit more about the cremation process, it’s pretty intense. They use these really high temperatures, and it basically turns everything into ash. I mean, there will be nothing left of my dog except some bone fragments.

After calling a few more places and reading some more stuff online, I realized the price really depends on how big your dog is and what kind of cremation you want. Bigger dogs cost more, which makes sense. And if you want a private cremation, it’s gonna be more expensive than if you’re okay with a communal one.

Making a Decision

Finally, I decided to go with the place that quoted me $349. They seemed the most trustworthy, and I liked that I could get his ashes back. It wasn’t easy, making these calls, talking about this stuff. But I wanted to do right by my dog, you know? He deserved that. It’s a hard time, losing a pet. They’re part of the family. But knowing what to expect with the cremation, having an idea of the costs and the process, it helped a little. It let me focus on saying goodbye to my friend, instead of worrying about all the practical stuff. At least, that’s how I felt.