Pet Preservation in Colorado
If your pet has just died and you might want them preserved, the only urgent job is getting them frozen. Everything else about preservation in Colorado, from choosing a method to finding a practitioner, can wait until they are.
- Clear steps for the first few hours
- Shipping frozen, explained plainly
- No pressure, we reply by email
Colorado, the United States
Pet Preservation in Colorado: what to know
Our 36 local pages for Colorado start from the same advice, because it holds as true in Grand Junction as in Vail: freeze quickly, keep your pet frozen, then choose. What changes is the practical detail, such as where freezer space is easiest to find, how far the nearest overnight shipping counter is and whether heat or winter storms pose the bigger risk in the first days.
Practitioners who accept pets from Colorado are usually chosen for their finished animals, not their address. Before contacting anyone, gather your pet's species and weight, a few clear photos and a note of when they died and when they were frozen. With that, a practitioner can give you a straight answer about suitability in a single email.
We cover 36 communities in Colorado, from Denver, Colorado Springs and Aurora to smaller towns. Conditions vary a lot across Colorado: summer highs reach about 95°F in Grand Junction, while winter lows average 2°F in Vail. In 100% of the Colorado communities we cover, average lows drop below freezing for three months or more, which matters for home burial.
Our estimate
1,410,000
Estimated pet-owning households across the communities we cover in Colorado
How we calculated this
The sum of our per-city estimates for the 36 communities in Colorado on this site: each city's population ÷ national average household size × the national share of households with a pet. Households with several pets count once.
Every Colorado community we cover
Choose your city or town for local prices, weather and timing, and rules. 36 communities in Colorado, largest first below.
- Denver740,613 people
- Colorado Springs494,743 people
- Aurora410,053 people
- Fort Collins171,500 people
- Lakewood156,927 people
- Thornton147,766 people
- Arvada122,901 people
- Westminster116,182 people
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Aftercare traditions in Colorado, and choosing to preserve
With about 77.4%[1] of people in Colorado choosing cremation, most friends and relatives will assume your pet's ashes are coming home. A preserved pet can surprise people. It helps to have a simple sentence ready, such as that you wanted to keep them as they were. Nobody needs more than that, and most people understand once they see how much care went into it.
Source for the Colorado figure: NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It describes human funerals and is here as context, not as a count of pets.
Prices by pet size, and what adds to them
The simplest guide is weight. One published US price list charges USD 650[2] for a pet under a pound, $2,095 plus $49 a pound for pets of 6 to 19 lb, and $2,781 plus $69 a pound above 20 lb[3]. On our reading of that list, a 10 lb cat comes to about USD 2,291–2,585[4]. Other studios charge less, and some more.
Large dogs are where prices climb fastest. On one US studio's published list, pets over 20 lb are priced at $2,781 + $69/lb[3]; by our estimate, a 50 lb dog would come to ~$4,851[5] on that list before a base or shipping. Ask several practitioners for a quote by weight, and ask whether a head-and-shoulders piece or a paw would be possible instead.
| Pet and method | Published price | Typical wait |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried pet under 1 lb (hamster, budgie, small lizard) | USD 650[2] | 4 to 6 months[2] |
| Freeze-dried pet of 1 to 6 lb | $1,250–$2,095[6] | 6 to 8 months[6] |
| Freeze-dried cat or small dog | $1,000–$2,500[7] | 6–12 months[8] |
| Traditional taxidermy, cat or small dog | $800–$2,500[9] | 6–12 months[8] |
| Freeze-dried dog over 20 lb | $2,781 + $69/lb[3] | 7+ months[10] |
| Custom base, pose or positioning | $150–$800[11] | Added to the total |
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Memorials.com and Animal Family Pet; we only apply it to this.
Free tool
Freeze-dry & taxidermy cost estimator
Estimate cost and waiting time for freeze-drying or taxidermy by size and pose.
Permits, shipping and burial rules in Colorado
Shipping a frozen pet has its own rules. Dry ice is regulated for transport, so carriers ask for the package to be labeled with the amount used, and some services won't accept it at all. Ask your practitioner which carrier they want and follow their packing instructions exactly. For anything you don't preserve, the usual burial and scattering rules in Colorado apply.
- Burial at home: Confirm the rule for the actual parcel and proposed burial with the local authority and property owner.
- Scattering ashes: Ask the exact land manager about scattering before making arrangements; a general gathering permission is a separate matter.
- Who oversees it: the authority responsible for the specific activity and location; this guide does not identify a universal permit or licensing rule
- Worth knowing: Record the service method, release authority, identification and return instructions in writing.
A city's population does not establish which aftercare activities are allowed at an address. Check the actual site and activity before proceeding.
County and city offices set many of the local rules. To find yours, start with the official Colorado local government directory.
Your checklist, in the order it matters
- Stop the clock. Heat is what rules preservation out, so move your pet to a cool, hard floor right away.
- Call ahead to your vet or an emergency clinic if you don't have freezer space, and ask them to hold your pet frozen rather than refrigerated.
- Set aside the collar, tags and a favorite blanket. Leave the fur alone for now; if you'd like a clipped lock, ask the practitioner where to take it from.
- Bag and freeze your pet within a few hours, double-wrapped, in a natural resting pose.
- Decide on the method: whole-body freeze-drying, traditional taxidermy, or a partial piece with the rest cremated.
- Agree everything in writing, covering what the practitioner does if they find damage after thawing.
Other ways to keep your pet close
If full preservation isn't right, a partial keepsake often is. A freeze-dried paw, a tanned tail, a bird's spread wing or a few feathers in a small frame can sit on a desk without anyone mistaking it for a living pet. The rest of your pet can be cremated privately, and one retailer lists small keepsake urns at about $15–$60[12].
Compare every option on our services page, try the free planning tools or see how other readers answered in our polls. You can also go back to all locations.
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.
If your pet died today, could you freeze them properly within a few hours?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Where would a preserved pet live in your home?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Questions people ask
Can I ship my pet from Colorado to a practitioner elsewhere?
Often, yes, within your own country. Practitioners usually ask for pets frozen solid, double-bagged and packed in a cooler with dry ice, sent overnight early in the week. Dry ice has labeling rules, so ask which carrier and service to use. Crossing an international border is harder and usually needs paperwork.
Can I visit a practitioner's studio from Colorado before sending my pet?
Many practitioners welcome a visit or a video call, and seeing finished pets in person is the surest way to judge their work. Ask to see animals of your pet's species and size, including older pieces. If the studio is too far to visit, ask for unedited daylight photos and a live video walk-through before you pay a deposit.
Is there a pet taxidermist in Colorado?
There may be a few, but pet specialists are rare, and many taxidermists in Colorado mainly mount game. Choose by the quality of finished pets of your species, then plan how to get your pet there frozen. Tell us your species, weight and city, and we'll email back practitioners who take pets from your area.
How many families in Colorado could face this decision?
By our estimate, the 36 communities we cover in Colorado are home to about 1,410,000 households with a dog or cat. Only a small share ever consider preservation, which is why so few practitioners exist and why most families send their pet some distance to the right one.
How do I keep a preserved pet in good condition in Colorado?
Keep it out of direct sun, away from damp rooms and heating vents, and check it now and then for moths or carpet beetles. Dust gently with a soft brush or a hair dryer on cool, and never wash it. In humid months, a dehumidifier or a sealed glass case helps protect freeze-dried work.
Do I need a permit to preserve my pet in Colorado?
Not for a domestic cat, dog, rabbit or captive-bred parrot, in most places. Permits mainly apply to native wild birds, turtles and other protected species, which can be restricted even if you kept them legally. Tell the practitioner exactly what your pet is before you ship, and ask which rules apply.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] The NFDA projected Colorado's cremation rate at 77.4% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [2] One U.S. pet preservation studio charges USD 650 to freeze-dry a pet under 1 lb, with a 4–6 month turnaround. Animal Family Pet — Pet Preservation Pricing & Shipping, 2026.
- [3] An Ohio pet preservation studio prices freeze-drying for pets over 20 lb at $2,781 plus $69 per pound, and 6–19 lb pets at $2,095 plus $49 per pound. Animal Family Pet Preservation – Pricing, 2026.
- [4] Freeze-drying a 10 lb cat at one published price list would cost about USD 2,290–2,590. Our estimate: Low: 2,095 + 49 x (10-6) lb; High: 2,095 + 49 x 10 lb. How we calculate.
- [5] On a per-pound-above-threshold reading of its price list, one Ohio studio would charge about $4,851 to freeze-dry a 50 lb dog. Our estimate: $2,781 + $69 × (50 − 20) lb. How we calculate.
- [6] An Ohio pet preservation studio charges $1,250 to freeze-dry a 1–2 lb pet and $2,095 for 2–6 lb, with 6–8 month turnaround. Animal Family Pet Preservation – Pricing, 2026.
- [7] Memorials.com puts freeze-drying at $1,000–$2,500 for a cat or small dog and $2,000–$5,000+ for a medium to large dog. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [8] Both traditional taxidermy and freeze-drying typically take 6–12 months, sometimes longer. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [9] Memorials.com puts traditional taxidermy at $800–$2,500 for a cat or small dog and $1,500–$5,000+ for a medium to large dog. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [10] Freeze-dry preservation takes 3–6 months for small pets, 7+ months for large dogs and up to a year for very large animals. Astute Analytica via GlobeNewswire — Global Pet Preservation Services Market to Hit USD 112.7 Million by 2032 (Apr 2, 2024), 2024.
- [11] Taxidermy and freeze-drying add-ons such as custom bases or positioning cost about $150–$800. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [12] Keepsake or mini pet urns cost about $15–$60, versus $25–$100 for small and $40–$200 for medium urns (Memorials.com). Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
Tell us about your pet and what you'd like kept
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.