Thinking about preserving your pet in Arlington?
Roughly 12,500 dogs and cats die in Arlington 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.
- Freeze-drying, taxidermy or a partial keepsake
- Honest about waits and results
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Arlington, Texas
Finding a practitioner from Arlington
Arlington has many young families and a large university, and the loss of a pet touches each household member differently. Young children need clear, gentle facts rather than euphemisms, and they often like helping, perhaps by decorating the box for a keepsake or choosing a photo. A UT Arlington student far from home may grieve the family pet alone, and a call home can help.
Arlington draws residents from Mexico, Vietnam, India, Nigeria and many other places, alongside families who have been in North Texas for generations, and pet farewells here reflect that mix: prayers, candles, a shared meal, or a few words in the backyard. Tell the provider about any customs that matter to you, and ask whether you can stay with your pet until the last moment.
A good first call from Arlington is to someone who preserves pets, not to a cremation provider. Describe your pet's species, weight, how they died and how long they've been frozen. A practitioner can often tell you straight away whether preservation is likely to work, which saves you money and heartache if it isn't.
With roughly 402,134 residents, Arlington is the 7th-largest of the 325 Texas communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Fort Worth, about 13 miles (21 km) away, which is where some providers serving Arlington are based.
Families in Arlington often end up using a provider from Pantego (3 miles), Dalworthington Gardens (4 miles) and Grand Prairie (6 miles). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
Our estimate
150,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Arlington
How we calculated this
402,134 ÷ 2.5 = 160,854 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 150,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
12,500
dog and cat deaths per year in Arlington, our estimate
How we calculated this
150,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 12,500 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.
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 Texas, cremation accounts for about 55.7%[5] of human deaths, so both burial and cremation traditions run through local families. If relatives feel strongly one way, a preserved pet can seem out of step. Many families settle on something in between, like a freeze-dried paw kept on a shelf with the rest of the pet buried or cremated as the family prefers.
We take the Texas rate from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It is a human statistic; there is no equivalent pet figure for Arlington, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
Arlington weather, freezing and power cuts
In August, when Arlington highs sit near 96°F, even the walk from the car to the clinic door warms a pet's body. Carry them in a cooler rather than in your arms, park in shade and keep the air conditioning running. A pet who died of heatstroke is already very hot inside, so press ice packs against the belly and chest to cool them quickly before freezing.
Hot months in Arlington bring storms and heavy demand on the power grid, and a freezer that loses power can undo everything. If an outage hits, keep the freezer lid shut, cover it with blankets for insulation and buy dry ice if the power will be off for more than a day. A full chest freezer stays frozen far longer than a half-empty upright one.
Budgeting for freeze-drying or taxidermy from Arlington
It helps to set preservation beside ordinary aftercare. Private dog cremation averages about $260[6] nationally, while one price guide puts freeze-drying a cat or little dog at $1,000–$2,500[7]. By our estimate, that makes freeze-drying roughly ten times the price of a private cremation[8]. Seen that way, a single preserved paw with the rest cremated can be a sensible middle path for families in Arlington.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Texas overview; for what's included in each option, see our services.
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 Texas
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 Texas guidance below.
Texas keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Arlington.
For Texas's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Texas guide. Local rules in Arlington can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
What to do now, and what can wait
- If your pet is at a clinic, have the staff note clearly on the file that your pet is being kept for preservation and is not to go for cremation.
- Ask them to freeze, not refrigerate, and to avoid shaving more fur than they need to.
- Bring your pet home frozen inside a cooler, or set up a pickup from the clinic by the practitioner or a courier.
- Keep your pet frozen solid for at least a day or two before any shipping, as most practitioners ask.
- Pack in a thick cooler with dry ice, labeled as the carrier requires, and send overnight on a Monday or Tuesday.
- Keep the tracking number and ask the practitioner to confirm your pet went straight into their freezer.
Remembering your pet while you wait
Losing a pet can feel lonely in a busy suburban city where everyone commutes and life moves fast. Grief often lands hardest at ordinary moments, like the first evening you come home to a quiet house. Your vet, a faith community or an online pet loss group can help, and some people find space to think on the trails of River Legacy Parks, away from the traffic.
or compare your instinct with the poll results, use the free tools before you ring anyone, look through our guides and the blog, See what each option includes on our services page. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover San Antonio, El Paso, Dallas and Fort Worth, and every city in Texas.
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.
Where would a preserved pet live in your home?
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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 cremation common in Texas?
For people, yes: about 55.7%[5] of Texas 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 Arlington follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Is Arlington big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 150,000 Arlington households keep a dog or cat and around 12,500 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 402,134), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Does the Arlington climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In August, with highs near 96°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. Winters here are mild enough that burial or scattering is possible in any month.
Where are the providers that serve Arlington actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Fort Worth, about 13 miles away. That is normal for a city this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Arlington and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
What happens if something goes wrong during preservation?
Occasionally a practitioner finds damage once a pet thaws, often fur slipping because of a delay before freezing. A good one will call you, explain what they see and offer choices, such as switching to a partial piece or arranging cremation. Ask about this, and about refunds of the deposit, before you pay anything.
Can I ship my pet frozen from Arlington to a practitioner in another state?
Usually, yes. Most practitioners who take shipped pets ask for them frozen solid for at least a day or two, double-bagged, packed in a thick cooler with dry ice and sent overnight on a Monday or Tuesday. Dry ice has labeling rules, so ask which carrier and service they want. Return shipping of the finished piece is often quoted separately.
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 Texas's cremation rate at 55.7% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for private dog cremation at $260 (range $206-$473). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [7] Memorials.com puts freeze-drying at $1,000–$2,500 for a cat or small dog and $2,000–$5,000+ for a medium to large dog. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [8] Freeze-drying a cat or small dog costs about 10 times a private cremation. Our estimate: midpoint freeze-dry $1,750 ($1,000–$2,500) / $175 (private cremation 3–24 lb, NC provider). How we calculate.
Ask which practitioners take your pet
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.