Dog Cremation Near Me Prices: What to Expect Cost-Wise

Okay, so, my old dog, bless his heart, he finally went to the big kennel in the sky last week. It was a tough time, obviously. He was part of the family for, like, 15 years. Once the initial sadness started to lift a bit, I knew I had to figure out what to do with his remains. I decided on cremation. It felt like the right choice for us, but I had no clue where to even start looking, let alone how much it was gonna cost.

First thing I did was hit up the internet, typing in “dog cremation near me prices” into the search bar. I figured that was the easiest way to get a general idea of what I was dealing with. A bunch of results popped up, some local pet cremation places, some national chains. It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest.

Research

I started clicking through a few of the websites, trying to make sense of the different options and prices. They had all sorts of packages, you know? Basic, standard, premium, the whole nine yards.

• Some places offered private cremations, where your pet is cremated alone, and you get their ashes back.
• Others had communal cremations, where multiple pets are cremated together, and you don’t get the ashes back.

That part was a little hard to think about, but I get it, some people don’t need the ashes. I knew I wanted my dog’s ashes, though. I wanted to keep a part of him with me, maybe scatter them in his favorite park later on.

The cost

Anyway, the prices were all over the place, I saw some for a few hundred bucks, others were way more, it seemed to all depend on your pet’s weight. The basic packages were cheaper, obviously, but they didn’t include everything I wanted. Some started around PHP5,000, and some are above PHP6,000. Like, the basic package only include a communal cremation. Then I read that direct cremation would cost $795. But direct cremation is like immediate cremation without any funeral. But I knew that when dog or cat are cremated, they hardly leave any remains and the ashes that I can get is very little. So I decided that I don’t want the remains, too.

Making calls

After browsing online for a while, I decided to just start calling places. I figured talking to a real person would be better than trying to decipher all the info on the websites. I called three or four different places, explained my situation, and asked about their services and prices. The people I talked to were all super nice and understanding, which I appreciated. They walked me through the process, explained the different options, and gave me quotes based on my dog’s size.

One place, I remember, they had this beautiful little memorial garden where you could scatter the ashes. I thought that was a really nice touch. Another place offered to pick up my dog from my home, which was convenient.

Decision Time

In the end, I went with a local place that a friend had recommended. They were a little more expensive than some of the others, but they felt like the right fit. They were compassionate, professional, and they offered a private cremation with a nice little urn included. They even gave me a paw print impression of my dog, which was really touching.

The whole thing cost me a bit more than I initially expected, but honestly, it was worth it. It brought me a lot of peace of mind knowing that my old buddy was taken care of with respect. It was a tough experience, but I’m glad I did my research and found a place that I felt comfortable with. And now I have his ashes in a nice urn on my bookshelf, right next to his favorite squeaky toy. It’s a good reminder of all the happy years we had together.