Grieving a pet in Lakewood
Around 4,800 Lakewood families lose a dog or cat each year, by our estimate, and most of that grief happens quietly. This guide covers groups, helplines, counselors and rituals.
- Free groups and helplines, explained
- Counselors who understand animal loss
- Crisis numbers if things feel too heavy
Lakewood, Colorado
Where Lakewood pet owners find support
A farewell for a pet in Lakewood can be a quiet goodbye at home, a small gathering in the backyard, or a trip into the foothills with the ashes later on. Some families want to be present at the cremation; others prefer everything handled for them. Tell us what matters to you, and we'll email options from providers who serve the west Denver metro.
Many Lakewood residents spend their free time outside with their pets, and losing that companion can change the rhythm of every weekend. Grief like that is normal, and it can be as heavy as other losses. Getting outdoors to a favourite trail or park, and talking with someone who knew your pet, can help you start, gently, to carry it.
Mid-sized cities like Lakewood often have community events that aren't labeled as grief support but work that way: a shelter's fundraising walk, a community garden workday, a volunteer morning at an animal rescue. Being useful alongside other animal lovers, without anyone asking how you're doing every five minutes, can steady you. Choose one event a few weeks out, so there's something on the calendar that isn't about loss.
Lakewood is home to about 156,927 people, the 5th-largest of the 36 Colorado communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Denver, about 6 miles (9 km) away, which is where some providers serving Lakewood are based.
The closest communities we cover are Wheat Ridge (5 miles), Denver (5 miles, a larger centre) and Englewood (6 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Lakewood too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
57,500
Lakewood: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
156,927 ÷ 2.5 = 62,771 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 57,500. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
4,800
Estimated dog and cat losses in Lakewood each year
How we calculated this
57,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 4,800 a year. Treat it as a minimum.
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 published sources behind those figures are American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
What local memorial customs mean for your grief
In Colorado, about 77.4%[5] of people are cremated, and many families now skip a traditional funeral in favor of something smaller and more personal. That shift has made it more acceptable to mark a pet's death, too. If you'd like to hold a short gathering for the friends who knew your pet, you're likely to find people here receptive rather than puzzled, and some may be glad to be asked.
Source for the Colorado number: NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Lakewood, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
Weather, seasons and remembrance in Lakewood
Around Lakewood, December lows average about 17°F, and that stretch of the year pushes most people indoors. It's a good season for slower remembrance projects: sorting photos into an album, writing down stories before details fade, or making something from their collar or blanket. Projects like these give restless evenings a focus and leave you with something to keep.
Snow brings its own reminders in Lakewood. If your dog loved the first snowfall or your cat watched it from the sill, the first white morning after they're gone can hit hard. A small plan can soften it: a walk in the snow with a friend, or a photo of the untouched yard to mark the day. Grief with a plan attached tends to feel a little less like an ambush.
What's free, and what isn't, in Lakewood
A good share of US pet loss support costs nothing at all. The first pet loss hotline opened at UC Davis in 1989[6], and university lines still run today: Cornell's Pet Loss Support Hotline is staffed by veterinary students trained by grief counselors, and Tufts runs a volunteer helpline with evening hours and voicemail. Check current times before calling from Lakewood.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Colorado: Colorado costs. What each service includes is on the services page.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Time off, burial and scattering in Colorado
Most of what helps with grief needs no permission at all: a candle, a letter, a walk. The exceptions are a burial or scattering outdoors, which Colorado and local authorities may regulate, and time off work, which usually rests on your employer's policy. The main points we have for Colorado are below.
Not sure which office covers Lakewood? The Colorado local government directory is the official list.
The rules that apply across Colorado (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our Colorado page. Lakewood may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
Small steps for the days after a loss
- Let the first day be simple. Eat something, drink water and tell one person what happened. Nothing else has to be decided today.
- Leave their things where they are until you choose otherwise. There's no right time to wash the bed or put the bowls away.
- Tell the people who need to know, and keep it short: relatives, one close friend, and your boss if you'll be off. A single sentence by text will do.
- Mark the loss in a small way: light a candle, note down what the last good day was like, or send a favorite picture to someone who knew them.
- Find one source of support that suits you: a pet bereavement line, an online group or a friend who's been through it.
- Check in with yourself after a couple of weeks. Still not sleeping, not eating, or struggling to get through work? That's a good moment to think about a counselor. Our private grief check-in is one way to weigh it up.
Places and ways to remember them
If grief lingers, pet loss support groups and helplines, including online groups, are available, and your vet may know of local options in the Denver area. Some families mark the loss by hiking to a favourite viewpoint on the anniversary or donating to an animal shelter. Small rituals like these can help give the grief a place without letting it take over.
Every option Lakewood families choose between is on the services page, read our guides and latest articles, or see how other readers answered in our polls, use the free tools before you ring anyone. Close to Lakewood we also cover Colorado Springs, Aurora, Arvada and Fort Collins; the full list for Colorado and for the United States is a click away.
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.
Which kind of support have you tried since your loss?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
How did your workplace respond when your pet died?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Free tools to help you plan
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Pet loss grief check-in
A private, two-minute check-in on how you're coping, with ideas that match where you are.
Farewell & memorial service planner
Build a simple goodbye: who, where, readings, rituals and a checklist.
Questions people ask
How do Colorado attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Colorado human cremation rate at about 77.4%[5]. We show it on the Lakewood 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.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Lakewood?
January, February, March, November and December: average lows are below freezing then, and frozen ground makes a home grave slow or impossible until it thaws. The other pressure point is July, when highs around 88°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
How many pet owners live in Lakewood?
By our estimate, about 57,500 households in Lakewood have at least one dog or cat, and around 4,800 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 156,927, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Where are the providers that serve Lakewood actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Denver, about 6 miles away. That is normal for a city this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Lakewood and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
How many people around Lakewood are grieving a pet right now?
Our estimate is that Lakewood loses about 4,800 dogs and cats a year, and each of those losses touches a household, sometimes several people. So even when it feels as if nobody understands, there are very likely people nearby going through the same thing this month. Saying it out loud, to a neighbor, a colleague or a group, is often how you find them.
Why aren't there more pet loss groups in Lakewood if so many pets die?
By our estimate, around 4,800 dogs and cats die in Lakewood each year, but most of that grief happens privately. Groups depend on volunteers or a host such as a vet hospital, and they come and go. If you can't find one, online groups fill the gap, and asking your vet signals that people want one. Some owners start a small monthly meetup themselves.
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 Colorado's cremation rate at 77.4% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] The first pet loss support hotline was set up in 1989 at the University of California, Davis, according to Cornell. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, 2026.
- [7] Each year about 110,000 U.S. pet owners may go on to meet prolonged grief disorder criteria after a pet dies. Our estimate: 1.5M pet cremations (proxy for pet deaths with an engaged owner) x 7.5% PGD rate. How we calculate.
Get Lakewood support options by email
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.