Pet preservation in Lakeville
Roughly 2,450 dogs and cats die in Lakeville 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.
- Real published prices, never guesses
- Care tips for a preserved pet at home
- Gentler options if full preservation isn't right
Lakeville, Minnesota
Getting your pet frozen and to a specialist from Lakeville
Other animals in the house often notice when a companion is gone. A cat may search the rooms, or a second pet may eat less for a few days. Keep routines steady and give extra attention. Some vets suggest giving a surviving pet a few minutes with the body before collection, since the scent may help it make sense of the absence. Watch the survivor closely for a week or two.
People often wonder how soon is too soon to bring home a new animal. There is no rule. Some Lakeville families adopt within weeks because a quiet house is too hard; others wait a year or more. What matters is that the new pet is welcomed for itself, not as a replacement, and that everyone in the house is ready.
Around Lakeville, 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.
About 79,270 people live in Lakeville, which makes it the 8th-largest of the 67 Minnesota communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Lakeville are based about 20 miles away in Saint Paul, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
Lakeville sits within easy reach of Farmington (4 miles), Apple Valley (5 miles) and Burnsville (6 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Lakeville; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
29,000
Lakeville: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
79,270 ÷ 2.5 = 31,708 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 29,000. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
2,450
Estimated dog and cat losses in Lakeville each year
How we calculated this
29,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,450 a year. The real figure is unlikely to be lower.
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 American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Aftercare traditions in Minnesota, and choosing to preserve
In Minnesota, about 68.5%[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.
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) is where the Minnesota figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Lakeville tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Heat, cold and a freezer that mustn't fail in Lakeville
Lakeville 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.
Winter storms in Lakeville 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.
Published prices and waits for Lakeville owners
Waiting is part of the cost. Freeze-drying takes three to six months for small pets and seven or more for large dogs[6], and both freeze-drying and taxidermy often run 6–12 months[7]. One studio offers faster turnaround of six to eight weeks for 50% more[8]. A rush fee can make sense, but a frozen pet can safely wait, so it's rarely necessary.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Minnesota: Minnesota costs. What each service includes is on the services page.
Free tool
Freeze-dry & taxidermy cost estimator
Estimate cost and waiting time for freeze-drying or taxidermy by size and pose.
Rules worth knowing in Minnesota
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.
Minnesota keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Lakeville.
The Minnesota page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Lakeville's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
What to do first if you might preserve your pet
- Take a breath. A pet that went into the freezer promptly isn't going anywhere. If not, freeze them now regardless and put the situation plainly to a practitioner.
- Describe exactly what happened to any practitioner you contact: when your pet died, how long before freezing, and the temperature.
- Choose the pose together with the practitioner. Eyes-shut sleeping positions tend to read as the most lifelike.
- Send reference photos, including the face in good light and anything distinctive about how your pet sat or lay.
- Pay only the agreed deposit, then file the quote, promised return date and refund conditions where you can find them.
- Prepare a spot at home for their return, one that's out of direct sunlight and clear of moisture and heating vents.
Other ways to keep your pet close
Many south metro vets offer euthanasia at home, and some families in Lakeville book it for a Saturday or Sunday morning so everyone can be there without rushing. A few minutes in the yard, a favorite treat, and time to say goodbye can make the day gentler. The provider can collect afterward, or you can bring your companion in yourself.
or see what other families chose in the poll results, Every option Lakeville families choose between is on the services page, run the numbers with the free planning tools, there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details. Close to Lakeville we also cover Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park and Rochester; the full list for Minnesota 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?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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 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
Where are the providers that serve Lakeville actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Saint Paul, about 20 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Lakeville and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Is cremation common in Minnesota?
For people, yes: about 68.5%[5] of Minnesota 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 Lakeville follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
How does Lakeville's weather affect pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Lakeville, with average highs around 83°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February, March, November and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
How many pet owners live in Lakeville?
By our estimate, about 29,000 households in Lakeville have at least one dog or cat, and around 2,450 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 79,270, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Can I put my pet in the kitchen freezer?
Yes, if they fit and the freezer runs cold, as long as they're sealed in two heavy bags and kept apart from food in a box or bin. Small pets such as hamsters, rats, budgies and kittens fit easily. For a cat or dog, a chest freezer is usually easier. Avoid a fridge for anything longer than a few hours.
Is it worth driving my pet to a practitioner instead of shipping?
If the drive is manageable, it removes the worry about a delayed parcel, and you get to meet the practitioner and see their work. Pack your pet frozen in a cooler with dry ice or plenty of bagged ice, keep the car cool and go straight there. For a long distance, overnight shipping early in the week is usually safer than a multi-day drive.
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-dry preservation takes 3–6 months for small pets, 7+ months for large dogs and up to a year for very large animals. Astute Analytica via GlobeNewswire — Global Pet Preservation Services Market to Hit USD 112.7 Million by 2032 (Apr 2, 2024), 2024.
- [7] Both traditional taxidermy and freeze-drying typically take 6–12 months, sometimes longer. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [8] Paying 50% extra for VIP service cuts freeze-dry turnaround to 6–8 weeks at Animal Family Pet Preservation. Animal Family Pet Preservation – Pricing, 2026.
- [9] 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.
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