Preserving your pet from Shoreview: the first hours and beyond
By our estimate, about 9,900 households in Shoreview 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.
- Clear steps for the first few hours
- Shipping frozen, explained plainly
- No pressure, we reply by email
Shoreview, Minnesota
Preserving a pet from Shoreview: the local picture
Minnesota families choose cremation about 68.5% of the time for people, and many Shoreview households bring that same calm to saying goodbye to an animal. Remembering might mean an evening stroll around Snail Lake swapping stories, or a quiet dinner with photos propped on the table. Children often want to plant something or make a card, and older kids may want to help choose the urn.
Losing an animal can feel especially hard in a household where the animal set the day's rhythm. It's normal to feel unsettled for weeks and to grieve again when you find a toy under the couch. Pet loss support groups in the Twin Cities meet in person and online, and a therapist who takes animal grief seriously can help you through it. Keeping photos out, rather than hiding them, helps some people.
In a town like Shoreview, the local vet may never have had a preservation request. Explain simply that you'd like your pet frozen, not refrigerated, and kept out of the cremation collection. If the clinic has no freezer space, most rural homes have a chest freezer somewhere, and a relative's will do for a few days while you choose a practitioner.
With roughly 26,906 residents, Shoreview is the 39th-largest of the 67 Minnesota communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Shoreview are based about 9 miles away in Minneapolis, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
For a second opinion on price, New Brighton (3 miles), Roseville (5 miles) and Lino Lakes (5 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Shoreview routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
9,900
How many dog- or cat-owning households Shoreview has (estimate)
How we calculated this
26,906 ÷ 2.5 = 10,762 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 9,900. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
820
Estimated dog and cat losses in Shoreview each year
How we calculated this
9,900 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 820 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.
Aftercare traditions in Minnesota, and choosing to preserve
Cremation stands at about 68.5%[5] in Minnesota, and many families mix traditions across generations. Older relatives may remember pets buried under a tree in the yard; younger ones may think of ashes, or even freeze-drying. It can help to let each person say what they would keep if they could: a paw, a collar, a photo, the whole pet. The answers often overlap more than you'd expect.
That Minnesota rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Shoreview only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Keeping your pet frozen through Shoreview's weather
Winter storms in Shoreview 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.
Cold weather in Shoreview is actually easier for shipping a frozen pet. With average lows around 6°F in January, a well-packed cooler stays frozen longer in transit. The risk shifts to delays: snow can hold up carriers, so send early in the week, keep the tracking number close and ask the practitioner to confirm the moment the box arrives.
Budgeting for freeze-drying or taxidermy from Shoreview
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.
The full price table by product is on our Minnesota page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
Free tool
Freeze-dry & taxidermy cost estimator
Estimate cost and waiting time for freeze-drying or taxidermy by size and pose.
What Minnesota rules mean for a preserved pet
Two kinds of rules can apply to a preserved pet. Wildlife rules come first: if your pet is a native wild bird, turtle, snake or other protected species, possessing or preserving them may need paperwork, even if you kept them legally for years. Then there are the ordinary aftercare rules on burial at home and scattering ashes, for any part of your pet you don't keep.
To find your county or city office in Minnesota, start with the official Minnesota local government directory.
For Minnesota's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Minnesota guide. Local rules in Shoreview can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
A checklist for the first hours
- Find the nearest vet or emergency clinic to where you happen to be, and ask if they have a freezer your pet could go into today.
- Ask how long they could hold your pet, and whether a practitioner or courier could collect from them directly.
- If you have to drive home, buy a hard-sided cooler and dry ice, or failing that a generous load of bagged ice, with your pet sealed in two bags beneath a towel.
- Check the ice every few hours on the road, and never leave the cooler in a parked car in the sun.
- Keep the clinic's paperwork, with the date, weight and cause of death, because the practitioner will want it.
- Choose the practitioner once you're settled, and let them advise whether your pet ships from the clinic or from your own freezer.
Living with a preserved pet in Shoreview
North-metro veterinary practices can often arrange home euthanasia in Shoreview, so the goodbye can happen on the screened porch or beside a window facing the lake. Collection can then be booked for whenever suits you. Many people take an hour or more just to sit with their companion, and some tuck a favorite toy or a note alongside the body before it leaves the house.
or see what other families chose in the poll results, try the free planning tools, The services page is the place to compare what is included, look through our guides and the blog. Close to Shoreview we also cover Minneapolis, Bloomington, Duluth and Brooklyn Park; the full list for Minnesota and for the United States is a click away.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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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
Is Shoreview big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 9,900 Shoreview households keep a dog or cat and around 820 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 26,906), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Why does the Shoreview 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.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Shoreview?
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 81°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Shoreview?
Usually yes. New Brighton is about 3 miles away, Roseville is about 5 miles away and Lino Lakes is about 5 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Will my preserved pet look like they did when alive?
They'll look like your pet at rest, not like a living animal. Fur, markings and body shape usually come through well. Faces are harder: noses can darken, lips and eyelids shrink slightly, and open eyes are usually glass. Closed-eye sleeping poses tend to look most natural, and lots of reference photos help the practitioner capture what made your pet recognizable.
Can I pay extra to get my preserved pet back sooner?
Some practitioners offer a rush service. One US studio cuts freeze-dry turnaround to six to eight weeks for 50% more[9]. It's rarely necessary, because a well-frozen pet can wait safely. Rushing can make sense if you're moving, or if the wait itself is weighing on you, but ask what the faster timeline changes about the work.
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] 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] 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.
- [9] 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.
Get pet preservation options in Shoreview
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