Pet preservation in Hastings
Roughly 690 dogs and cats die in Hastings 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.
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Hastings, Minnesota
What pet preservation is like in Hastings
Many Hastings families prefer that an ailing animal's final hour happen at home, on its usual rug, with a mobile vet doing the house call. Others gather a few neighbors in the backyard afterward. When kids are involved, say plainly what is going on, then hand each one a small job, like picking out the blanket or tucking a drawing next to the body.
Nobody has to hold a memorial that week. Plenty of households hold off until the snow has gone and the urn is back, then invite relatives from around the metro for an evening near the riverfront or around a backyard fire. Someone reads something short, phones get passed around with old pictures, and tulip bulbs go into the ground. Late goodbyes carry every bit as much weight.
Working dogs around Hastings, such as a herding dog or a livestock guardian, can be big. A large dog won't fit into a small chest freezer once stiff, so settle them on one side with legs folded into a shape that fits before stiffness sets in. Big dogs also cost more and take longer, so ask practitioners to quote for a partial piece as well.
About 22,563 people live in Hastings, which makes it the 50th-largest of the 67 Minnesota communities we cover. Saint Paul, roughly 19 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Hastings run from there.
Families in Hastings often end up using a provider from Cottage Grove (6 miles), Rosemount (11 miles) and Inver Grove Heights (12 miles). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
Our estimate
8,300
How many dog- or cat-owning households Hastings has (estimate)
How we calculated this
22,563 ÷ 2.5 = 9,025 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 8,300. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
690
Hastings 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.
Sources for the statistics above: Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Why preservation means speaking up early in Minnesota
Human cremation sits around 68.5%[5] in Minnesota, and pet aftercare choices are broad as a result: crematories, pet cemeteries, home burial and a few preservers taking work by mail. That choice is welcome, but it also means your vet may assume whichever path is most common at their practice. Put your request in writing, even a quick email, stating that your pet is to be frozen and held.
Source for the Minnesota number: NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Hastings, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
How Hastings weather changes your timeline
Dry indoor heat through Hastings winters is fine for a preserved pet, but placement still matters. Keep the piece away from radiators, heating vents and fireplaces, which dry and crack delicate features, and away from cold windows where condensation forms. A shelf on an inside wall, out of direct sun, usually suits a freeze-dried or mounted pet well year-round.
Hastings 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 January, and keep your pet in it once they're in.
Preservation prices beside other aftercare
Birds, reptiles and small mammals have their own price points. One US studio lists $650–$1,350[6] for a small bird, with bearded dragons around $850 and hedgehogs, rats or ferrets around $950[6]. Small pets also ship in smaller coolers with less dry ice, so the total from Hastings is usually far lower than for a cat or dog.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Minnesota overview; for what's included in each option, see our services.
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When the rules in Minnesota come into play
Most people never need to think about law when preserving a pet. The exceptions are wild or native animals, pets that died of a notifiable disease, and pets sent across a border, where animal health paperwork may apply. If any of those fit, raise it with your vet and practitioner first. Anything you don't keep follows the ordinary burial and scattering rules.
Minnesota keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Hastings.
The Minnesota page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Hastings's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
Your checklist, in the order it matters
- Raise preservation before the euthanasia appointment rather than after it, which gives the clinic time to work out where your pet will go afterward.
- Ask the vet to clip as little fur as possible when placing the catheter or giving the injection, and find out which leg they intend to use.
- Bring a towel and a sturdy cooler so there's no delay between the appointment and a freezer, whether that's at home or at the clinic.
- Take your time saying goodbye, then settle your pet into the curled or resting shape you'd like before their body stiffens.
- If you've already picked a practitioner, check with them in advance how they prefer a pet posed and bagged for the freezer.
- Note the time of death and the time of freezing in your phone; those two times are the first things any practitioner asks.
Living with a preserved pet in Hastings
Grief over an animal often runs deeper than coworkers or even family anticipate, and being knocked sideways by it is ordinary. Therapists in Dakota County and Saint Paul see pet-loss clients regularly, and national support lines stay open into the evening for talk or chat. A teacher or supervisor usually needs only a brief heads-up to give you or your child a little slack.
For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, run the numbers with the free planning tools, or see how other readers answered in our polls, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Saint Paul, Brooklyn Park, Bloomington and Minneapolis, and every city in Minnesota.
Reader polls
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Questions people ask
Is Hastings big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 8,300 Hastings 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 22,563), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Why does the Hastings page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) reports about 68.5%[5] of Minnesota residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Hastings?
Usually yes. Cottage Grove is about 6 miles away, Rosemount is about 11 miles away and Inver Grove Heights 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.
Where are the providers that serve Hastings actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Saint Paul, about 19 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Hastings and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
My pet has been in the fridge for a day. Can they still be preserved?
Sometimes. A pet kept cold the whole time may still be workable, while one left somewhere warm often isn't, because fur starts to slip. Move them to a freezer now and describe exactly what happened, including how long they were at room temperature, to a practitioner. A good one will tell you honestly whether it's still possible before taking a deposit.
How many pets die in Hastings each year, and how many are preserved?
Our estimate for Hastings is roughly 690 dog and cat deaths a year, across about 8,300 homes with a dog or cat. Just a small fraction are preserved; one market report puts taxidermy at about 7%[8] of owners' choices, and many families end up with a partial keepsake instead. You won't be the first to ask, but your vet may not have been asked before.
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 Minnesota's cremation rate at 68.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Freeze-drying costs about $850 for a bearded dragon, $950 for a hedgehog, rat or ferret, and $650–$1,350 for a small bird at one Ohio studio. Animal Family Pet Preservation – Pricing, 2026.
- [7] The pet preservation (freeze-dry/taxidermy) market adds only about USD 2.7 million a year, far slower than pet funeral services. Our estimate: (112.7M - 88.6M) / 9 years. How we calculate.
- [8] About 7% of pet owners choose taxidermy, per Astute Analytica. Astute Analytica via GlobeNewswire — Global Pet Preservation Services Market to Hit USD 112.7 Million by 2032 (Apr 2, 2024), 2024.
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