Grieving a pet in Highland
Around 720 Highland 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.
- Support that fits how you grieve
- Help for children and teenagers
- Wording for a time-off request at work
Highland, Indiana
What grieving a pet in Highland can be like
A Highland farewell can take many forms: family members taking turns sitting with the animal on its favorite blanket, a neighbor stopping by to say goodbye, or a gathering later in the backyard with a short reading. Children benefit from simple, truthful words and a role of their own, such as choosing a photo to frame or decorating the box that will hold the collar.
When an animal who has been part of the household for years dies, the grief can surprise even the people who expected it. Feeling low for weeks, or tearful at odd moments, is ordinary. If it helps, a pet-loss phone line, a web forum, or a counselor who specializes in bereavement can listen without judgment. There is no right amount of time to grieve.
Everyone knowing everyone in Highland can cut both ways. You might prefer that news of your pet travels slowly, especially if the death was sudden or involved a hard decision. It's fine to tell a few people and ask them to keep it quiet for now. Privacy isn't secrecy. It's giving yourself time to find the words before you have to say them at the post office or the feed store.
About 23,409 people live in Highland, which makes it the 44th-largest of the 50 Indiana communities we cover. Chicago, roughly 25 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Highland run from there.
Our pages for Munster (2 miles), Schererville (4 miles) and Lansing (5 miles) describe the same choices from those towns' point of view, and the providers overlap, so a quote from one often covers Highland as well.
Our estimate
8,600
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Highland
How we calculated this
23,409 ÷ 2.5 = 9,364 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 8,600. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
720
Highland families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
8,600 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 720 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.
Loss and remembrance in Indiana
Cremation is now the majority choice in Indiana, at about 56.5%[5] of deaths, but burial and graveside visits still matter to many families. If you grew up with a grave to visit, grieving a pet whose ashes sit on a shelf can feel unfinished. Some people create a place anyway, such as a marked spot in the garden or a memorial stone, so the grief has somewhere to go.
That Indiana rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Highland only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Highland's seasons and your grief
Highland winters are long, with average lows at or below freezing in January, February, March, November and December. Dark afternoons and fewer reasons to go outside can make grief heavier, especially if a dog used to get you out twice a day. Many people find it helps to keep a short daily walk anyway, at the time you used to go, even if it's only around the block.
Snow brings its own reminders in Highland. 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 Highland
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 Highland.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Indiana overview; for what's included in each option, see our services.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Practical rules worth knowing in Indiana
If you're planning a memorial outdoors, a quick check of local rules saves a hard moment later. Here's what we know about Indiana and home burial or scattering ashes. For time off, check your handbook for bereavement or compassionate leave; where pets aren't mentioned, a short, specific request to your manager often works.
To find your county or city office in Indiana, start with the official Indiana local government directory.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Indiana level first; our Indiana rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Highland or your HOA adds anything.
A gentle plan for the weeks ahead
- Give yourself the patience you'd give a friend. Losing an animal can hit as hard as losing a person, and it deserves the same care.
- Take your time over aftercare decisions. If you haven't chosen yet, it's fine to ask your vet or provider for a day or two to think.
- Keep one or two of their things out, like a collar or a favorite toy, somewhere you'll see them.
- Choose a place to grieve: a spot in the garden, a bench on a favorite walk or a shelf with their photo.
- Reach beyond your household if you feel alone. A group or pet bereavement line means you don't have to explain why this hurts. We can also email you options.
- Know the crisis number where you live in case a bad night gets very dark, and use it. Grief of every kind is welcome there.
Ways Highland families remember a pet
Highland sits in the middle of a dense cluster of Lake County towns, so support groups in Munster, Hammond, Merrillville or the Chicago suburbs are all close, and online options run most nights. Your regular vet is a good guide to what's available. Many local vets can also arrange euthanasia at home, which some families find less stressful than a clinic visit.
Compare every option on our services page, look through our guides and the blog, use the free tools before you ring anyone, or see how other readers answered in our polls. More local pages: Indianapolis, Carmel, South Bend and Fishers, the Indiana overview and every city in the United States.
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.
What words did you use to tell a child the pet had died?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Which moment of the day feels emptiest now?
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 Indiana attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Indiana human cremation rate at about 56.5%[5]. We show it on the Highland 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.
Where are the providers that serve Highland actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Chicago, about 25 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Highland and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
How does Highland's weather affect pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Highland, with average highs around 84°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February, March, November and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
Roughly how many pets die in Highland each year?
Our estimate is around 720. It comes from Highland's population (about 23,409), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 8,600 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
There's no pet loss group near Highland. What are my options?
In smaller places, phone lines, online groups and video counseling are usually the most practical support. A larger center such as Chicago may have an in-person group or counselor. Churches and community groups sometimes run general bereavement groups that welcome anyone grieving. And your vet, who likely knew your pet, is often a kind first person to talk to.
How do I tell my child our pet died?
Use plain words: your pet died, their body stopped working and they can't come back. Phrases like 'went to sleep' or 'went away' can confuse or frighten young children. Let them ask questions, answer briefly and honestly, and give them a small role, such as drawing a picture or choosing a photo. Children often grieve in short bursts, so expect the questions to come back days later.
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 Indiana's cremation rate at 56.5% 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] Roughly 850,000 bereaved U.S. pet households a year may not find the grief support they need. Our estimate: 1.5M pet cremations x 56.7% couldn't find support. How we calculate.
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