Thinking about preserving your pet in Woodbury?
Woodbury has an estimated 30,000 dog- or cat-owning households, by our count. Very few local vets handle a preservation request often, so this page walks you through the freezing, shipping and waiting yourself.
- Freeze-drying, taxidermy or a partial keepsake
- Honest about waits and results
- Written quotes you can compare
Woodbury, Minnesota
Where Woodbury owners find freezer space and practitioners
Woodbury is full of school-age children, and for many of them losing a pet is the first death they have faced. Let teachers know, so they understand a sad or distracted week. Kids often do well with a task: making a card, sorting photos, or picking the spot in the yard for the urn. Plain, truthful words help more than phrases like 'put to sleep'.
Grief can be unexpected, catching you on a drive past Carver Lake or in the stillness of a house where someone used to greet you. Give yourself time and don't compare your pace with anyone else's. A counselor, a peer group that meets online, or a journal kept by the bed can each help, and many people use more than one over the first months.
Overnight carriers don't always reach small towns overnight. From Woodbury, you may need to drive the cooler to a depot or shipping counter in a larger centre such as Saint Paul to make the cut-off. Ask your practitioner what service they want, then call the depot ahead to confirm the late pickup time and whether they accept packages containing dry ice.
Woodbury's population is around 81,558, the 7th-largest of the 67 Minnesota communities we cover. Saint Paul, roughly 9 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Woodbury run from there.
Nearby, we also have local pages for South St. Paul (6 miles), Oakdale (6 miles) and Cottage Grove (6 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
30,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Woodbury
How we calculated this
81,558 ÷ 2.5 = 32,623 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 30,000. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
2,500
Estimated dog and cat losses in Woodbury each year
How we calculated this
30,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,500 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.
None of the figures on this this page are ours alone: they rest on Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
What local cremation habits mean for your request
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.
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 Woodbury tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Seasons, shipping and humidity in Woodbury
Dry indoor heat through Woodbury 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.
Cold weather in Woodbury 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.
Published prices and waits for Woodbury 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.
The Minnesota 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.
Permits, contracts and paperwork in Minnesota
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.
Not sure which office covers Woodbury? The Minnesota local government directory is the official list.
The Minnesota page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Woodbury's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
What to do first if you might preserve your pet
- Stop the clock. Heat is what rules preservation out, so move your pet to a cool, hard floor right away.
- Call ahead if your freezer can't take your pet: a vet or emergency clinic may hold them, and ask for a freezer, not a fridge.
- Set aside the collar, tags and a favorite blanket. Leave the fur alone for now; if you'd like a clipped lock, ask the practitioner where to take it from.
- Bag and freeze your pet within a few hours, double-wrapped, in a natural resting pose.
- Decide on the method: whole-body freeze-drying, traditional taxidermy, or a partial piece with the rest cremated.
- Agree everything in writing, covering what the practitioner does if they find damage after thawing.
Living with a preserved pet in Woodbury
East metro pet owners can turn to grief counselors, support groups and veterinary school hotlines. Many vets serving Woodbury will perform euthanasia in your living room, letting your companion slip away somewhere familiar and free of clinic smells. Some families choose to be outside on the lawn, or near a favorite sunny window, for those last minutes before the provider takes over.
Every option Woodbury families choose between is on the services page, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, or see how other readers answered in our polls, run the numbers with the free planning tools. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Rochester, Bloomington, Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and every city in Minnesota.
Reader polls
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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
Does the Woodbury climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 81°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 Woodbury?
The closest communities we cover are South St. Paul (about 6 miles), Oakdale (about 6 miles) and Cottage Grove (about 6 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Woodbury too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Will I have to travel to Saint Paul to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Saint Paul (roughly 9 miles from Woodbury) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
How many pet owners live in Woodbury?
By our estimate, about 30,000 households in Woodbury have at least one dog or cat, and around 2,500 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 81,558, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
How long will I wait for a preserved pet?
Months. 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 take 6–12 months[7]. Add the practitioner's queue before your pet even goes into the chamber. Ask for an estimated return date in writing, and ask whether they send updates along the way.
Can my vet in Woodbury freeze my pet for me?
Many vets can hold a pet frozen for a few days, but you have to ask, because the usual routine is to send deceased pets for cremation. Tell the clinic as soon as possible that you're considering preservation, ask them to freeze rather than refrigerate, and ask them to note it on the paperwork. Check how long they can keep your pet and when you need to collect.
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] On a per-pound-above-threshold reading of its price list, one Ohio studio would charge about $4,851 to freeze-dry a 50 lb dog. Our estimate: $2,781 + $69 × (50 − 20) lb. How we calculate.
Find a preservation specialist for your pet
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