Pet freeze-drying and taxidermy in Broomfield
Broomfield has an estimated 29,000 dog- or cat-owning households, by our count. Very few local vets handle a preservation request often, so this page walks you through the freezing, shipping and waiting yourself.
- Freeze-drying, taxidermy or a partial keepsake
- Honest about waits and results
- Written quotes you can compare
Broomfield, Colorado
Getting your pet frozen and to a specialist from Broomfield
Some Broomfield families mark a pet's life on the first anniversary with a stroll along a favorite open space trail, a spring planting or a photo on the fridge. Cremation is chosen for most people who die in Colorado, so holding ashes at home for years, or letting some go later in the foothills, is a familiar path. Whatever you choose, it can wait until you are ready.
Grief often comes in waves, especially in the first weeks when feeding times, the evening routine or the sound of a pet at the door suddenly stop. Changing those routines slowly, rather than all at once, is kinder on yourself. If sadness is still heavy after a month, a therapist who works with animal loss or a bereavement circle in the Boulder or Denver area can help you find your footing.
In a town like Broomfield, the local vet may never have had a preservation request. Explain simply that you'd like your pet frozen, not refrigerated, and kept out of the cremation collection. If the clinic has no freezer space, most rural homes have a chest freezer somewhere, and a relative's will do for a few days while you choose a practitioner.
About 79,174 people live in Broomfield, which makes it the 16th-largest of the 36 Colorado communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Denver, about 15 miles (24 km) away, which is where some providers serving Broomfield are based.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Lafayette (4 miles), Northglenn (5 miles) and Louisville (5 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
29,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Broomfield
How we calculated this
79,174 ÷ 2.5 = 31,670 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 29,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
2,450
Broomfield families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
29,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,450 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.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry; we only apply it to this.
Aftercare traditions in Colorado, and choosing to preserve
In Colorado, about 77.4%[5] of people are cremated, so cremation is the default most families expect, for people and pets alike. That's why vets and emergency clinics tend to route deceased pets straight to a crematory. If you want to preserve your pet, you're choosing the less usual path here, so be clear and early: tell the clinic you want your pet frozen and held, not collected for cremation.
For the Colorado figure we rely on NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Read it as a picture of local custom around death and remembrance in Broomfield rather than as pet data.
Broomfield weather, freezing and power cuts
In January, February, March, November and December, it's tempting to leave a pet outside in Broomfield because it's cold enough. Please don't. Sunlight, wild animals and daytime thaws are all real risks, and a preserved pet needs to have stayed frozen without interruption. If there's no freezer space at home, ask your vet, or a friend with a chest freezer, to hold your pet for a few days.
Broomfield has 5 months with average lows below freezing, which slows things down a little in winter. Cold doesn't replace a freezer, though. A garage or porch warms up during the day and cools again at night, and those freeze-thaw swings damage skin and fur. Use a proper freezer, even in December, and keep your pet in it once they're in.
What pet preservation costs in Broomfield
It helps to set preservation beside ordinary aftercare. Private dog cremation averages about $260[6] nationally, while one price guide puts freeze-drying a cat or little dog at $1,000–$2,500[7]. By our estimate, that makes freeze-drying roughly ten times the price of a private cremation[8]. Seen that way, a single preserved paw with the rest cremated can be a sensible middle path for families in Broomfield.
The full price table by product is on our Colorado page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
Free tool
Freeze-dry & taxidermy cost estimator
Estimate cost and waiting time for freeze-drying or taxidermy by size and pose.
Wildlife permits, shipping and local rules in Colorado
If your pet bit someone shortly before dying, or showed signs of a disease that authorities must be told about, public-health rules come before any aftercare plan, and required testing can rule preservation out. Your vet will know what applies. For ordinary deaths from age, illness or accident, preservation raises no legal issue, and the burial and scattering guidance for Colorado below covers the rest.
The official Colorado local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Broomfield.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Colorado level first; our Colorado rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Broomfield or your HOA adds anything.
What to do now, and what can wait
- If your pet is at a clinic, ask the staff to write on the paperwork that your pet is held for preservation and must not be cremated.
- Ask them to freeze, not refrigerate, and to keep any clipping of the coat to the bare minimum.
- Bring your pet home frozen inside a cooler, or set up a pickup from the clinic by the practitioner or a courier.
- Keep your pet frozen solid for at least a day or two before any shipping, as most practitioners ask.
- Pack in a thick cooler with dry ice, labeled as the carrier requires, and send overnight on a Monday or Tuesday.
- Keep the tracking number and ask the practitioner to confirm your pet went straight into their freezer.
Living with a preserved pet in Broomfield
Broomfield's family neighborhoods mean a pet is often known to kids and adults up and down the street. When one dies, a quiet farewell at home gives your household a moment together before collection. A short note to close neighbors, particularly those whose children knew your pet, spares everyone awkward questions later and lets others share the loss. Grief shared tends to feel a little lighter.
look through our guides and the blog, Every option Broomfield families choose between is on the services page, or look at how readers voted in our polls, use the free tools before you ring anyone. Close to Broomfield we also cover Thornton, Denver, Aurora and Colorado Springs; the full list for Colorado 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.
How do you feel about waiting months for a preserved pet to come home?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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.
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
Does the Broomfield climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 88°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.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Broomfield?
The closest communities we cover are Lafayette (about 4 miles), Northglenn (about 5 miles) and Louisville (about 5 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Broomfield too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is Broomfield big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 29,000 Broomfield households keep a dog or cat and around 2,450 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 79,174), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Where are the providers that serve Broomfield actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Denver, about 15 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Broomfield and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
How much does it cost to freeze-dry a pet from Broomfield?
US guides put freeze-drying a cat or small dog at $1,000–$2,500[7], and traditional taxidermy at $800–$2,500[10]. Weight makes a big difference: one studio lists USD 650[11] for a pet under a pound and $2,781 plus $69 a pound for dogs over 20 lb[12]. Add bases, posing and shipping both ways, and ask for a written total.
What happens if something goes wrong during preservation?
Occasionally a practitioner finds damage once a pet thaws, often fur slipping because of a delay before freezing. A good one will call you, explain what they see and offer choices, such as switching to a partial piece or arranging cremation. Ask about this, and about refunds of the deposit, before you pay anything.
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 Colorado's cremation rate at 77.4% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for private dog cremation at $260 (range $206-$473). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [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] Freeze-drying a cat or small dog costs about 10 times a private cremation. Our estimate: midpoint freeze-dry $1,750 ($1,000–$2,500) / $175 (private cremation 3–24 lb, NC provider). How we calculate.
- [9] 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.
- [10] 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.
- [11] 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.
- [12] 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.
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