Pet freeze-drying and taxidermy in Evans
By our estimate, about 8,300 households in Evans have a dog or cat. Only a small share of families ever consider preservation, so if you're one of them, here's how to freeze your pet in time and what comes next.
- Freeze first, decide later
- Published prices by pet size
- Help finding a specialist who takes your species
Evans, Colorado
Preserving a pet from Evans: the local picture
Evans and Greeley share churches, schools and workplaces, so news of a loss tends to reach friends on both sides of the city line. A short farewell at home before your pet leaves, even a few minutes with the family gathered, helps everyone understand what is happening, especially children. Let kids pick a blanket, toy or drawing to go along, and answer their questions plainly rather than with euphemisms.
Evans has a large Latino community, and for some households a pet's goodbye draws on family custom: a small ofrenda-style table set with a photograph, marigolds, a lit candle or a favorite treat. Whatever rituals feel right in your home are yours to keep, with no explanation owed. Should sorrow linger past the first month, look for a grief counselor or group, ideally one fluent in the language spoken around your kitchen table.
Overnight carriers don't always reach small towns overnight. From Evans, you may need to drive the cooler to a depot or shipping counter in a larger centre such as Aurora to make the cut-off. Ask your practitioner what service they want, then call the depot ahead to confirm the late pickup time and whether they accept packages containing dry ice.
Evans is home to about 22,500 people, the 29th-largest of the 36 Colorado communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Aurora, about 43 miles (69 km) away, which is where some providers serving Evans are based.
The closest communities we cover are Greeley (5 miles, a larger centre), Johnstown (9 miles) and Windsor (12 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Evans too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
8,300
How many dog- or cat-owning households Evans has (estimate)
How we calculated this
22,500 ÷ 2.5 = 9,000 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 8,300. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
690
Evans families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
8,300 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 690 a year. A floor, not a ceiling.
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.
None of the figures on this this page are ours alone: they rest on Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
How Colorado thinks about cremation, and where preservation fits
Where cremation is as common as it is in Colorado, at about 77.4%[5], a preservation request can surprise the clinic desk. Staff may gently check that you understand the cost and the wait. That's care, not judgment. Give a short, firm answer, such as asking for your pet to be frozen for a preservation specialist, and ask them to write it on the file so the next shift doesn't route your pet to the crematory out of habit.
We take the Colorado rate from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It is a human statistic; there is no equivalent pet figure for Evans, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
Seasons, shipping and humidity in Evans
Evans has 6 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 January, and keep your pet in it once they're in.
Winter storms in Evans can bring ice, fallen lines and days without power. If your pet is waiting in a freezer, keep the lid closed, pile blankets on top and find dry ice or a generator before the second day. A full chest freezer kept shut holds its cold far longer than an upright model, and a garage freezer in January gets some help from the weather.
Prices by pet size, and what adds to them
Pet insurance rarely helps here. Standard policies generally don't cover aftercare, and end-of-life add-ons have low ceilings; one wellness add-on could reimburse up to $650[6] toward cremation, burial and keepsakes. Budget from savings, try our preservation cost estimator and ask whether the practitioner takes a deposit up front with the balance due before return shipping.
We keep the detailed Colorado price table on one page so it stays current: see Colorado prices.
Free tool
Freeze-dry & taxidermy cost estimator
Estimate cost and waiting time for freeze-drying or taxidermy by size and pose.
When the rules in Colorado come into play
Preserving a domestic pet is generally allowed, and most rules that touch taxidermy are about wildlife. Many places license taxidermists who work on game animals and restrict what can be done with native wild birds and protected reptiles. A cat, dog, rabbit or captive-bred parrot is usually straightforward. If your pet is a native species, ask the practitioner which permits apply before you ship. Burial and scattering rules only come into it for any part of your pet that's buried or cremated.
The official Colorado local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Evans.
Start with the Colorado rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat Evans's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
A checklist for the first hours
- Check how warm the room is first. Turn on the air conditioning or carry your pet to the coolest tiled or concrete floor in the house.
- Use what you have tonight. An emptied kitchen freezer shelf, or bagged ice in a cooler with a towel laid over it, keeps a small pet until morning.
- Leave the coat dry. Blot the mouth and rear with paper towel only; wet fur freezes into clumps that are harder to work with.
- Write down when you found your pet and the time they were put in the cold; a best guess is fine if you aren't sure.
- Phone your vet when they open if your freezer is too small, and say plainly that it's for a preservation specialist.
- Contact practitioners once your pet is frozen solid, with their species, weight and a photo of how they look now.
Once the finished piece is home in Evans
Many people in Evans work long or irregular shifts in agriculture, food processing and energy across Weld County, and those schedules rarely leave room to grieve on a set day. A quick goodbye on the day, followed weeks later by a proper gathering on a spring weekend, is a perfectly good way to handle it. A candle at dinner, a planted flower or a shared photo album all count as honoring a pet.
there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details, See what each option includes on our services page, or compare your instinct with the poll results, use the free tools before you ring anyone. Close to Evans we also cover Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Aurora and Denver; 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.
If you were preserving your pet, which route would you lean toward?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Where would a preserved pet live in your home?
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If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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Questions people ask
How do Colorado attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Colorado human cremation rate at about 77.4%[5]. We show it on the Evans 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.
Is Evans big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 8,300 Evans households keep a dog or cat and around 690 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 22,500), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Evans?
Usually yes. Greeley is about 5 miles away, Johnstown is about 9 miles away and Windsor is about 12 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Will I have to travel to Aurora to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Aurora (roughly 43 miles from Evans) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
Can I keep my pet's skull or skeleton instead of a full preservation?
Yes. Some practitioners clean and whiten a skull, and a few articulate full skeletons, especially for birds, reptiles and small mammals. It's a quieter keepsake than a lifelike piece and suits people who like the idea of keeping something real but find fur and glass eyes unsettling. Ask about the method used, the wait and whether the remaining body can go for cremation.
Do I need a permit to have a wild bird preserved in the US?
Most native wild birds are protected under federal law, and possessing one, even a bird you found dead, can be illegal without a permit. Domestic and captive-bred birds, such as budgies, cockatiels, parrots, chickens and domestic pigeons, are generally outside those rules. If your bird is anything else, ask the practitioner and your state wildlife agency before you ship.
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] Embrace's Wellness Rewards add-on could reimburse up to $650 toward cremation, burial and keepsakes. Pet Insurance Review - Does Pet Insurance Cover Euthanasia? (Dec 2023), 2023.
- [7] 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.
Ask which practitioners take your pet
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.