written by a person, not a computer
5 minute read
Hello fellow animal lovers, I’m sorry you need this content.
Losing your four legged family is so difficult, I’m genuinely sorry for your loss whether it just happened, or is approaching. About a million of us go through this each year, that doesn’t make it easier, but know that you are not alone. If you need to learn the basics of pet cremation, I recommend you read the post titled The Basics of Cremation.
If you are seeking pet funeral services in and around the Bay Area area, you have a few cremation options, but perhaps no pet cemetery.
Considering that the San Fransisco Bay Area has a population of nearly 8 million, they have surprisingly few options for pet cremation. We will look at 6 of them and explore their costs and options. My goal is to provide you with empowering consumer information, not to advertise for anyone, or malign their business, so no names will be used.
Location 1, San Fransisco proper- This business offers classic private cremation. For it's location in one of the most expensive cities in the country, their prices are quite reasonable!
Private Cat 140 Medium dog 170 Large dog 260
Location 2, Napa area- This business offers private and group cremation, ashes are returned in your choice of “standard” urns, for private services. If you select communal cremation, no ashes are returned to you. These prices are based on your pet being delivered by appointment, and they do pick up for free from several local animal clinics. Interestingly, they do offer burial, but it seemed to be through a subcontractor, as they had no details and it didn't seem to be a service people requested with any frequency.
24 hours after my call, nobody phoned me back to answer questions about burial.
Private Cat 230 Medium dog 250 Large dog 290
Communal 300 for all three
Location 3, Suisun Area- This business offers private cremation only. Ashes are returned in an attractive cedar box. This business emphasized their efficiency, often being able to return ashes no later than 48 hours after pick up or delivery of the deceased. They did offer pickup for a modest additional fee, but in a limited area.
Private Cat 200 Medium dog 240 Large dog 300
Location 4, Oakland- This business is one of two unique hybrids I found during my research. They offer both euthanasia, cremation, and composting services. The euthanasia service is completed by a fully licensed veterinarian under CA law. The cremation can be private or group, a fancy box or urn is an additional cost of 75, and they have a large selection of choices, among the most I've seen.
Private Cat 300 Medium dog 350 Large dog 600
Communal Cat 200 Medium dog 250 Large dog 500
Additionally, they offer composting services for small animals, including exotic pets. Your small or exotic pet can be composted for 130. No remains are returned to you for this process. I'm sure if your willing to pay the cat fee, they would cremate a small exotic pet too.
Location 5, San Leandro- offers private or group cremation, and their pricing structure is a bit different. An urn or box costs extra, but pick up is included. For some people, this can be very valuable due to limited transportation or the difficulties of moving what can be a heavy animal.
Private Cat 225 Medium dog 400 Large dog 500
Communal Cat 100 Medium dog 175 Large dog 200
Location 6, San Jose- This is the second hybrid business I found which offers euthanasia and pet cremation services, though I suspect the cremation services are subcontracted out. Also, an urn and paw print are included in these prices. Both private and communal cremation are offered. The euthanasia service is completed by a fully licensed veterinarian under CA law.
Private Cat 275 Medium dog 375 Large dog 475
Communal Cat 100 Medium dog 150 Large dog 275
Transport is offered, and at 225 it is pricy but includes the entire Bay Area! While there are densely populated areas in this region, there are also sprawling foothills, agricultural land, and California grade mountains. For some people that transport cost is a good value.
Summary
The Bay Area is huge, crowded, and diverse. Land is extremely expensive, which easily explains the lack of pet cemetery space, and the cremation prices.
-Always call around to check prices, cremation prices varied widely. Usually an area will have one main population center with costs being highest there, then dropping as one gets further from that center. But the Bay Area is different, shaped like an elongated horseshoe. Here there are several cities, with sprawl between them, leading to some pricing surprises. Shockingly, San Fransisco was actually the most reasonable, with Oakland costing the most.
-I was unable to find any active pet cemetery in the entire Bay Area. If you are willing to drive a couple hours that changes, but most people prefer a grave they can visit with some convenience.
-In Los Angeles, aquamation is common, in the Bay area, seemingly non-existent.
-Every place I found was a family run business, some that had been passed down to children or grandchildren.
-According to the State of California, burying a pet in your backyard is illegal, it’s only ok in a designated cemetery...but local jurisdictions may have their own rules. For example I found this at sanjoserecycles.org
"If you own property, you may bury a dead pet or wild animal that weighs over 15 pounds on your land. Bury it at least four feet deep and cover with lime juice to discourage scavengers"
This makes almost no sense and is a good example of why it may be better sometimes to just make a prudent decision and not consult a city about animal burial policy. What about animals under 15 pounds? Also, "lime juice" does not discourage scavengers. Somebody is confused between what goes in your Mexican beer bottle and the chemical lye, a strong base, which does rapidly decompose flesh, and is used in livestock composting.
-No location I contacted in this area officially had a semi-private option. Either you pay a premium, or you get no ashes back. This is common.
-A couple of places didn't have websites, a couple more had them, but they were archaic. Just because the Bay Area is a tech region, doesn't mean everyone likes it or is onboard. One location had a live answering service, but the real business never got back to me.
-Only one location publicly advertised their prices, but all were forthcoming on the phone.
-Though I chose not to get into the weeds with added services, some crematoriums offer additions that will quickly escalate the price. If you want a fur clipping, nicer urn, plaster paw print, cremation casket, to view the cremation, etc. the price can rise rapidly. However, there is no tax on services in CA.
-A private cremation for a cat will likely cost between $140 and 300
-A private cremation for a medium dog will likely cost between $170 and 400
-A private cremation for a large dog will likely cost between $260 and 600
Sometimes people are in a rush to make cremation or funeral decisions. Slow down. Consider your options carefully, once you make these choices, there is no going back. Your four legged family will be fine lying in state at home for a day or two if that’s what it takes to do this right. You can check out this page for an eBook on how to have a pet funeral at home.
Written by Peter of Pawsitive Memorials, I"m sorry for your loss.
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