Thinking about preserving your pet in Longmont?
By our estimate, about 37,000 households in Longmont 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
Longmont, Colorado
Finding a practitioner from Longmont
Longmont's farm heritage means some families here have buried animals on their own land for generations, while newer residents in the subdivisions often opt for cremation with the ashes returned home. Both traditions are alive in town. Some families take a portion to a quiet spot with a clear view of Longs Peak; others plant a lilac in the yard. Let the choice wait until it feels right.
Longmont still has the feel of a town where people know the neighbors on their block, and someone will probably notice when a familiar pet no longer appears at the window or in the yard. Before your pet is collected, gathering the household for a few quiet minutes lets each person have a private moment. Younger children often want to add a drawing or a small toy, and plain, honest words help them most.
Vets around Longmont usually know one another, and a practice that can't hold your pet frozen may know one that can. If you're too upset to phone around, ask the reception team to make the calls for you. It's a reasonable request, and most clinics would rather help than see a pet go to the wrong place for want of freezer space.
About 100,109 people live in Longmont, which makes it the 13th-largest of the 36 Colorado communities we cover. Denver, roughly 30 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Longmont run from there.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Frederick (8 miles), Firestone (8 miles) and Erie (9 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
37,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Longmont
How we calculated this
100,109 ÷ 2.5 = 40,044 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 37,000. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
3,050
Longmont families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
37,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 3,050 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.
We built the this numbers from American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
Why preservation means speaking up early in Colorado
Cremation is the norm in Colorado: roughly 77.4%[5] of people who die there are cremated. Many families who choose preservation still end up using a crematory as well, for the parts of the pet they aren't keeping. A preserved paw with the rest of your pet cremated privately is a common pairing, and it fits comfortably with the way most people here already think about aftercare.
That Colorado rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Longmont only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
How Longmont's climate affects the first hours
In January, February, March, November and December, it's tempting to leave a pet outside in Longmont 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.
Cold, dry winter air in Longmont is kind to freeze-dried work, but carrying a preserved pet from a cold car into a warm house can fog a glass case with condensation. If your pet comes home in December, leave the box closed indoors for an hour or two so it warms gradually before you unwrap it.
Published prices and waits for Longmont owners
The simplest guide is weight. One published US price list charges USD 650[6] 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[7]. On our reading of that list, a 10 lb cat comes to about USD 2,291–2,585[8]. Other studios charge less, and some more.
The Colorado price table breaks costs down by product; our services page explains what sits behind each line.
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
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.
The official Colorado local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Longmont.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Colorado level first; our Colorado rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Longmont or your HOA adds anything.
Your checklist, in the order it matters
- If your pet is at a clinic, have the staff note clearly on the file that your pet is being kept for preservation and is not to go for cremation.
- Ask them to freeze, not refrigerate, and to keep any clipping of the coat to the bare minimum.
- Bring your pet home frozen in a cooler, or arrange for the practitioner or a courier to collect.
- Keep your pet frozen solid for a day or two at minimum before shipping; practitioners generally insist on this.
- Pack in a thick cooler with dry ice, add whatever labels your carrier asks for, and ship it overnight early in the week, Monday or Tuesday.
- Keep the tracking number and ask the practitioner to confirm your pet went straight into their freezer.
Keepsakes, displays and gentler options
The hard part often arrives weeks later: passing the Main Street spot where you always stopped, or finding a food bowl in the back of a cupboard. Those moments are a normal part of losing an animal. If they keep knocking you flat, talk it through with someone who understands, whether that is a friend who knew your pet, a counselor, or one of the pet loss groups that meet around Boulder County or online.
try the free planning tools, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, or compare your instinct with the poll results, Every option Longmont families choose between is on the services page. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Fort Collins, Lakewood, Colorado Springs and Thornton, and every city in Colorado.
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?
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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
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Longmont?
Usually yes. Frederick is about 8 miles away, Firestone is about 8 miles away and Erie is about 9 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Longmont?
January, February, March, November and December: average lows are below freezing then, and frozen ground makes a home grave slow or impossible until it thaws. The other pressure point is July, when highs around 88°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Is cremation common in Colorado?
For people, yes: about 77.4%[5] of Colorado deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Longmont follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Where are the providers that serve Longmont actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Denver, about 30 miles away. That is normal for a city this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Longmont and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Does the euthanasia injection affect preservation?
Generally, no. Practitioners routinely work on pets who were put to sleep. What matters far more is what happens next: how much fur was clipped, whether your pet was kept cool and how soon they were frozen. Mention any shaved patches or bandaged areas when you describe your pet, so the practitioner knows what to expect when your pet thaws.
How do I look after a preserved pet at home?
Protect it from sunlight, damp and insects. Direct sun fades fur, humid air can soften freeze-dried tissue and moths or carpet beetles can damage fur over time. Keep the piece in a dry room away from bathrooms and heating vents, dust it with a soft makeup brush or a hair dryer on cool, and never wash it. A glass case helps with all three.
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] 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.
- [7] 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.
- [8] 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.
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.