Preserving your pet from Redmond: the first hours and beyond
Roughly 2,550 dogs and cats die in Redmond 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.
- Clear steps for the first few hours
- Shipping frozen, explained plainly
- No pressure, we reply by email
Redmond, Washington
Where Redmond owners find freezer space and practitioners
Families who've recently relocated to Redmond may be grieving far from parents, siblings and old friends who knew the animal. Video calls to share memories can help, as can online groups that meet across time zones. Veterinary college grief lines are free, and many local therapists see clients online in the evening, which makes it easier to fit support around work and school pickups.
A bike ride along the river trail, a picnic in the meadow or an evening with a candle and the animal's collar on the table can all mark the day. Some Redmond families wait until the sunnier months to hold a remembrance outdoors. Cremated remains are stable indefinitely, so the timing can follow the weather and the people who want to attend.
Small communities share things, and someone near Redmond probably owns a chest freezer, a generator or a truck with room for a cooler. Asking for help with something this personal can feel awkward, but most people understand losing an animal. A week of borrowed freezer space is an ordinary favor in the country, and offering to replace the electricity or bring a bag of ice goes a long way.
Redmond is home to about 82,506 people, the 17th-largest of the 67 Washington communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Redmond are based about 11 miles away in Seattle, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
The closest communities we cover are Sammamish (3 miles), Kirkland (4 miles) and Bellevue (6 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Redmond too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
30,500
Redmond: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
82,506 ÷ 2.5 = 33,002 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 30,500. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
2,550
Redmond families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
30,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,550 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.
We built the this numbers from American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
Aftercare traditions in Washington, and choosing to preserve
Cremation is chosen for about 79.1%[5] of deaths in Washington, and local pet crematories have built whole menus around it: engraved urns, clay paw prints, fur clippings. That's useful even if you're drawn to preservation, because it shows how much can be kept without keeping the body. If you're torn, freeze first, ask a crematory which keepsakes they'd return with the ashes and compare that with a practitioner's quote.
The Washington percentage above is from Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024) and refers to human funerals. Treat it as context for Redmond, not as a count of pets.
Heat, cold and a freezer that mustn't fail in Redmond
Mild weather in Redmond can make it feel as though there's no hurry. For cremation, that's true. For preservation, it isn't. Freeze your pet within a few hours, double-bagged with the air pressed out. The fridge buys you a short while if the freezer is full, but don't rely on it overnight.
Redmond can be damp around November without ever feeling muggy. Freeze-dried pets are most at risk where damp air sits still, in closed rooms and cupboards. If you need to store the piece for a while, during a move for example, wrap it loosely in acid-free tissue in a box with silica gel packets, never in sealed plastic that traps moisture.
What pet preservation costs in Redmond
Large dogs are where prices climb fastest. On one US studio's published list, pets over 20 lb are priced at $2,781 + $69/lb[6]; by our estimate, a 50 lb dog would come to ~$4,851[7] on that list before a base or shipping. Ask several practitioners for a quote by weight, and ask whether a head-and-shoulders piece or a paw would be possible instead.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Washington: Washington 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.
Wildlife permits, shipping and local rules in Washington
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.
Not sure which office covers Redmond? The Washington local government directory is the official list.
For Washington's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Washington guide. Local rules in Redmond can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
The first hours, step by step
- 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 a day or two at minimum before shipping; practitioners generally insist on this.
- 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.
Other ways to keep your pet close
Long hours and demanding jobs are common in Redmond, and it's easy to feel you should get back to the screen the next morning. Take the time anyway. Many employers now recognize pet bereavement, and a day or two off to be with family, plant something or simply rest is a reasonable request after an animal has been part of the household for years.
For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, use the free tools before you ring anyone, or look at how readers voted in our polls. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Tacoma, Spokane, Vancouver and Kent, and every city in Washington.
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.
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.
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
Will I have to travel to Seattle to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Seattle (roughly 11 miles from Redmond) 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.
Does the Redmond climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In August, with highs near 77°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. Winters here are mild enough that burial or scattering is possible in any month.
How do Washington attitudes to cremation compare?
Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024) puts the Washington human cremation rate at about 79.1%[5]. We show it on the Redmond page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Redmond?
Usually yes. Sammamish is about 3 miles away, Kirkland is about 4 miles away and Bellevue is about 6 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Is it legal to preserve my pet bird, turtle or snake?
For captive-bred pets such as budgies, cockatiels, parrots, corn snakes and most pet tortoises, usually yes. Native wild species are different: many wild birds, turtles and reptiles are protected, and possessing or preserving them can require a permit even if you kept them legally. Tell the practitioner exactly what species your pet is and where they came from before you ship.
Can my rabbit be preserved if rabbit hemorrhagic disease is a concern?
Ask your vet first. The USDA advises rabbit owners not to dispose of a rabbit's body without consulting a veterinarian or animal health officials, because rabbit hemorrhagic disease kills 50-100%[9] of infected rabbits and spreads through carcasses. If your rabbit died suddenly, testing may come first. If disease is ruled out, preservation is usually straightforward.
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] Washington had a 79.1% cremation rate in 2024, among the highest in the US. Direct Cremate (citing CANA), 2024.
- [6] An Ohio pet preservation studio prices freeze-drying for pets over 20 lb at $2,781 plus $69 per pound, and 6–19 lb pets at $2,095 plus $49 per pound. Animal Family Pet Preservation – Pricing, 2026.
- [7] 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.
- [8] 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.
- [9] Rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHDV2) kills 50-100% of infected rabbits; the first U.S. detection was in a pet rabbit in Ohio in 2018. USDA APHIS - Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease, 2018.
Find a preservation specialist for 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.