Thinking about preserving your pet in Sheridan?
By our estimate, about 7,350 households in Sheridan 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.
- Freeze first, decide later
- Published prices by pet size
- Help finding a specialist who takes your species
Sheridan, Wyoming
Preserving a pet from Sheridan: the local picture
Farewells in Sheridan often happen at home or out by the barn, with family gathered round, a well-worn blanket and some stories. If a last visit before cremation matters to you, raise it with the provider when you first call. Involving children, perhaps letting them pick a wildflower or write a letter, can help them understand and grieve in their own way.
Losing an animal can be especially hard in rural areas where it was part of daily work and routine, not just companionship. National pet-loss helplines, online communities and therapists who work with bereaved owners are available wherever you are. If grief interferes with sleep, work or daily life for weeks, speak with a doctor about it; it's a common reaction to a real loss.
With about 20,015 people, Sheridan isn't likely to have a pet preserver of its own, and that's true of most towns. It doesn't stop you. Get your pet frozen solid, then choose a practitioner anywhere in the country by the quality of their pet work. Families from small towns do this all the time, usually by overnight shipping or a single long drive.
Sheridan's population is around 20,015, the 6th-largest of the 10 Wyoming communities we cover.
If you want to compare providers, look at Gillette (81 miles), Billings (101 miles, a larger centre) and Casper (139 miles, a larger centre). Distance matters because pickup fees and the time until the ashes come back both grow with the drive.
Our estimate
7,350
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Sheridan
How we calculated this
20,015 ÷ 2.5 = 8,006 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 7,350. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
610
Estimated dog and cat losses in Sheridan each year
How we calculated this
7,350 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 610 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: American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
What local cremation habits mean for your request
Because around 78.5%[5] of people in Wyoming are cremated, aftercare providers here are organised around cremation, and preservation specialists are few by comparison. That's a reason to plan the handover carefully if you combine the two. Agree in writing who takes your pet first, who removes any part being preserved, and that the cremation of the rest is private so the ashes you get back are your pet's.
Source for the Wyoming number: NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Sheridan, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
Heat, cold and a freezer that mustn't fail in Sheridan
Frozen ground through January, February, March, April, October, November and December in Sheridan means burying anything you don't keep may have to wait until spring. That's fine. Whatever the practitioner returns, or your whole pet if you change your mind, can stay in the freezer until the soil softens. Label the bag clearly with your pet's name and the date so nobody opens it by mistake.
In January, February, March, April, October, November and December, it's tempting to leave a pet outside in Sheridan because it's cold enough. Please don't. Sunlight, wild animals and daytime thaws are all real risks, and a preserved pet needs to have stayed frozen without interruption. If there's no freezer space at home, ask your vet, or a friend with a chest freezer, to hold your pet for a few days.
Prices by pet size, and what adds to them
Pet preservation is priced by weight, method and pose, not by city, so what you'd pay from Sheridan depends mostly on your pet and the practitioner you choose. One US price guide quotes freeze-drying a cat or small dog at $1,000–$2,500[6] and traditional taxidermy at $800–$2,500[7]. Large dogs cost several thousand dollars more. The published prices below come from US price lists and cost guides.
We keep the detailed Wyoming price table on one page so it stays current: see Wyoming prices.
Free tool
Freeze-dry & taxidermy cost estimator
Estimate cost and waiting time for freeze-drying or taxidermy by size and pose.
When the rules in Wyoming come into play
Taxidermy licensing mostly exists to stop trade in protected wildlife, not to regulate pet owners. Still, a careful practitioner will ask what species your pet is and where they came from, and may ask for proof that an unusual pet was legally kept. That's a good sign. If part of your pet is going to be buried or cremated, the usual rules for Wyoming apply to that part.
The official Wyoming local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Sheridan.
The Wyoming page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Sheridan's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
What to do first if you might preserve your pet
- Freeze first, decide later. A pet frozen quickly and kept frozen can wait weeks while you choose.
- Blot, don't wash. Pat away any fluid with a paper towel and leave the fur dry.
- Pose gently and bag tightly. Curl them as if asleep, then seal them in two thick bags, squeezing out the air so the face and ears don't get freezer burn.
- Plan for a power cut. Work out now where dry ice or a spare freezer could come from, in case the power stayed off longer than a day.
- Ask two or three practitioners whether they take your species and size, how long their queue is and how they want your pet delivered.
- Ship or drop off frozen, early in the week if shipping, and ask for confirmation the moment your pet arrives.
Caring for the piece, and for the memories
Some families wait until summer for a remembrance, maybe a ride into the foothills or a gathering in the pasture where the animal liked to roam. Picking a date that means something, like the day the animal joined the family, can help. Ashes stored in a sealed urn stay unchanged, so there's no pressure to set a date before you're ready.
read our guides and latest articles, Compare every option on our services page, or compare your instinct with the poll results, run the numbers with the free planning tools. If you live between Sheridan and Cheyenne, Casper, Evanston and Gillette, either page applies. Every other community in Wyoming, and all of the United States, is listed too.
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.
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
Does the Sheridan climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 88°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February, March, April, October, 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.
Is cremation common in Wyoming?
For people, yes: about 78.5%[5] of Wyoming 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 Sheridan follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Sheridan?
The closest communities we cover are Gillette (about 81 miles), Billings (about 101 miles) and Casper (about 139 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Sheridan too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is Sheridan big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 7,350 Sheridan households keep a dog or cat and around 610 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 20,015), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Is it safe to leave my pet in the freezer for weeks while I decide?
Yes, if they're sealed well and the freezer stays cold. Many practitioners accept pets who have been frozen for months, provided they went in quickly and never thawed. Press the air out of two heavy bags so the ears and face don't get freezer burn, keep the lid shut and use the time to compare practitioners and talk it over at home.
Can I preserve just a paw or tail and have the rest of my pet cremated?
Yes, and many families find it easier to live with than a full-body piece. The practitioner preserves the paw, tail, wing or feathers, and the rest of your pet goes to a cremation provider. Agree in writing who handles the handover and that the cremation is private, so the ashes you get back are your pet's alone. Partial work usually costs far less and takes less time.
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 Wyoming's cremation rate at 78.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] 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.
- [7] Memorials.com puts traditional taxidermy at $800–$2,500 for a cat or small dog and $1,500–$5,000+ for a medium to large dog. Memorials.com – Pet Taxidermy Guide, 2025.
- [8] Freeze-drying a 10 lb cat at one published price list would cost about USD 2,290–2,590. Our estimate: Low: 2,095 + 49 x (10-6) lb; High: 2,095 + 49 x 10 lb. How we calculate.
Tell us about your pet and what you'd like kept
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.