Pet taxidermy and freeze-dry options for Hays, Kansas
Roughly 650 dogs and cats die in Hays each year, by our estimate, and most go to cremation by default. If you'd like to preserve yours, tell your vet today and get them into a freezer within hours.
- What to tell your vet or emergency clinic
- Freezer and power-cut backup plans
- Practitioners chosen by portfolio, not postcode
Hays, Kansas
Arranging preservation from Hays: the practical side
Faith runs deep in Ellis County, and some families say a rosary, a short prayer or a blessing at the loss of a companion animal. Others gather in the backyard at sunset and share stories. Both are true farewells. In a close community, neighbors may hear the news quickly and turn up with a dish or a card; accepting that help can make the first days easier.
In a town of this size, the vet who treated your pet for years may also be the one who helps at the end, and many Hays families find comfort in that familiarity. Some clinics can come out to a home or farm; others will offer a quiet room. Either way, ask for time alone before and after, and whether a paw print can be made.
Around Hays, the nearest vet may also treat farm animals and keep a large freezer at the practice for them. It's worth asking about. Mixed practices sometimes have more cold storage than town clinics, and rural vets tend to be calm and practical about unusual requests. Explain that your pet needs to stay frozen, flat and undisturbed until you've chosen a practitioner.
With roughly 21,258 residents, Hays is the 20th-largest of the 23 Kansas communities we cover.
Families in Hays often end up using a provider from Dodge City (86 miles), Salina (92 miles, a larger centre) and Hutchinson (95 miles). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
Our estimate
7,800
Hays: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
21,258 ÷ 2.5 = 8,503 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 7,800. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
650
Hays families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
7,800 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 650 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.
The numbers above come from American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, if you'd like to read the original sources.
Local aftercare habits and pet preservation
In Kansas, about 64.6%[5] of people are cremated, with burial still common. That mix shows up in pet aftercare too, and preservation sits alongside both. Some families preserve a paw or tail and bury the rest in the garden; others freeze-dry their whole pet. There's no local custom telling you which is right, which leaves you free to choose.
The Kansas percentage above is from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) and refers to human funerals. Treat it as context for Hays, not as a count of pets.
Keeping your pet frozen through Hays's weather
Shipping a frozen pet from Hays changes with the season. In July, heat on loading docks is the worry, so use plenty of dry ice and a thick cooler. In January, February, March, November and December, snow delays are more likely than thawing. Whatever the month, send early in the week and ask the practitioner to confirm when your pet has arrived and gone into their freezer.
A preserved pet in Hays lives through humid summers and dry, heated winters. Both can be hard on delicate work. Keep the piece away from heating vents, sunny windows and damp rooms, and consider a sealed glass case, which evens out swings in humidity. In the most humid weeks around July, a dehumidifier in the room helps.
Preservation prices beside other aftercare
Shipping, a custom base and special positioning all sit on top of the headline price. One price guide puts add-ons such as bases or posing at about $150–$800[6], and return shipping of the finished piece is often quoted separately. By our estimate, freeze-drying costs about six times as much as an average pet cremation[7], so ask for a written total before you pay a deposit.
We keep the detailed Kansas price table on one page so it stays current: see Kansas prices.
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Permits, contracts and paperwork in Kansas
Keeping a preserved pet you loved is legal almost everywhere, but selling or passing on some preserved species later can be restricted, especially birds and reptiles covered by wildlife-trade rules. Keep the practitioner's invoice, your pet's purchase or breeder records and any permits with the finished piece, so its origin is never in doubt. Remains you don't keep follow the Kansas guidance below.
Kansas keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Hays.
For Kansas's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Kansas guide. Local rules in Hays can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
What to do first if you might preserve your pet
- Tell your vet or clinic straight away that you're considering preservation, so your pet isn't sent for cremation with the day's collection.
- Lay your pet in a relaxed position while they're still limp: resting on one side with the legs tucked softly. Leave the coat unbrushed and unwashed.
- Double-bag them using two thick plastic bags, squeezing the air from each one before you close it.
- Put them in the coldest freezer available inside a few hours; a refrigerator isn't cold enough. Once they're in, resist the urge to open the bags and check.
- Take photos you already have and gather more: their face from several angles, how their ears sat, any markings. The practitioner will need them.
- Choose a practitioner by their pet work, then get the price, deposit, return date and shipping plan in writing before anything leaves home.
Remembering your pet while you wait
Grief can feel lonely on the high plains, especially for older residents who shared a decade or more with one animal. Free, confidential pet-loss helplines exist for exactly this, and some people find a stranger easier to talk to. Students at Fort Hays State can also use campus counseling. Children do better with plain facts than gentle euphemisms, even when the facts are hard.
or see how other readers answered in our polls, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, use the free tools before you ring anyone, For a plain comparison of the choices, open services. Close to Hays we also cover Overland Park, Wichita, Topeka and Lawrence; the full list for Kansas 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 your pet died today, could you freeze them properly within a few hours?
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If you were preserving your pet, which route would you lean toward?
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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 Kansas attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Kansas human cremation rate at about 64.6%[5]. We show it on the Hays 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.
Roughly how many pets die in Hays each year?
Our estimate is around 650. It comes from Hays's population (about 21,258), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 7,800 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Does the Hays climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 93°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 Hays?
The closest communities we cover are Dodge City (about 86 miles), Salina (about 92 miles) and Hutchinson (about 95 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Hays too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Should I tell my vet about preservation before a planned euthanasia?
Yes, ideally when you book. The clinic can then plan to put your pet in a freezer rather than add them to the crematory collection, clip only a small patch of fur for the injection and give you a quiet room with time afterward to settle your pet into a natural shape. If you've already chosen a practitioner, ask them whether they have any requests for the vet, and pass them on.
It's July in Hays. How fast do I need to act?
As fast as you can. In summer heat, a pet's body can start to break down within a few hours, and fur slip can set in sooner than people expect. Get your pet onto a cool hard floor in air conditioning straight away, then double-bag and freeze them. If you have no freezer space, ask a vet or emergency clinic to hold them.
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 Kansas's cremation rate at 64.6% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Taxidermy and freeze-drying add-ons such as custom bases or positioning cost about $150–$800. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [7] Freeze-drying a pet costs about 6 times as much as an average cremation. Our estimate: USD 1,500 (midpoint of USD 1,000–2,000) / USD 250. How we calculate.
- [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.
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