Missing them in Redmond: where to find pet loss support
By our estimate, about 1,200 dogs and cats die in Redmond every year, so someone near you is grieving right now too. Here's where people find support, locally and online.
- Support that fits how you grieve
- Help for children and teenagers
- Wording for a time-off request at work
Redmond, Oregon
Finding your footing after a loss in Redmond
The loss of an animal can leave a surprisingly large hole in daily life, especially in a place where so much time is spent outdoors together. Central Oregon has grief therapists, and national pet-loss support lines through veterinary colleges answer calls at no charge. Online groups meet in the evenings. Mourning openly is healthy, and there is no timetable for it.
Many Redmond households are new to Central Oregon, and a pet's death can land hard when family lives in another state. Neighbors, coworkers and friends from church or the gym often step in. Before collection, gathering at home for a few quiet minutes, maybe with the pet's bed and a photo nearby, lets the household part with the animal at its own pace.
The quiet of a small town can make an empty house feel emptier. If your pet was your walking companion around Redmond, keep walking the same lanes if you can bear to, or ask a neighbor with a dog to join you for a while. Keeping the habit of getting outside each day is one of the things people most often say helped them through the first months.
With roughly 38,547 residents, Redmond is the 15th-largest of the 34 Oregon communities we cover.
Families in Redmond often end up using a provider from Bend (15 miles, a larger centre), Lebanon (87 miles) and Springfield (90 miles). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
Our estimate
14,000
Redmond: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
38,547 ÷ 2.5 = 15,419 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 14,000. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
1,200
dog and cat deaths per year in Redmond, our estimate
How we calculated this
14,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,200 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.
Sources for the statistics above: Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
How people in Oregon mark a death
About 77.7%[5] of people in Oregon are cremated, one of the higher rates around. That usually means memorial customs are flexible and personal rather than bound to a cemetery. For grieving pet owners, that's freeing: a small gathering in the backyard, a scattering on a favorite hike or a candle on the anniversary will feel normal to most people here, not odd or excessive.
For the Oregon figure we rely on Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024). Read it as a picture of local custom around death and remembrance in Redmond rather than as pet data.
Weather, seasons and remembrance in Redmond
Daylight changes through the year can shift grief without you noticing. When evenings draw in, the empty hours after dark often feel longer; when days lengthen, you may find more energy for a walk or a planting. Watching for that pattern helps you plan: arrange company for the darker stretch and save outdoor rituals for the lighter one.
What pet loss support costs in Redmond
Paid pet loss leave is rare: only 11%[6] of US employers offer it, according to AbsenceSoft. That means grief can cost you vacation days as well as vet bills, so it's worth asking your manager anyway. Below are national averages for the aftercare decisions many Redmond families face, alongside the typical cost of each kind of support.
The full price table by product is on our Oregon page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
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 Oregon
A ritual can feel spoiled if you're worried it breaks a rule. The points below cover what we know for Oregon about burying a pet at home and scattering ashes. When in doubt, private land with the owner's permission is the simplest place for a quiet goodbye, and a planting in a pot works anywhere.
The official Oregon local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Redmond.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Oregon level first; our Oregon rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Redmond or your HOA adds anything.
Small steps for the days after a loss
- Let the first day be simple. Have a meal, keep a glass of water nearby and let a single person know. Every other decision can wait until tomorrow.
- Leave their things where they are for as long as you want. Washing the bed and clearing the bowls can happen whenever you're ready, not before.
- Tell the people who need to know, briefly: family, a close friend, your manager if you need a day. A one-line message is enough.
- 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 fits how you are. That could be a pet bereavement helpline, a forum, or a friend who has lost an animal too.
- 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
Redmond families sometimes pick a clear summer evening for a remembrance, when the sun sets late behind the Cascades, or in early fall before the first snow. Friends, a shared story or two and a candle in a lantern make the occasion. Children might paint a small rock, choose a plant for the yard or make a card to keep with the ashes.
the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, try the free planning tools, Every option Redmond families choose between is on the services page, or compare your instinct with the poll results. Close to Redmond we also cover Eugene, Portland, Gresham and Bend; the full list for Oregon 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.
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
Roughly how many pets die in Redmond each year?
Our estimate is around 1,200. It comes from Redmond's population (about 38,547), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 14,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Is cremation common in Oregon?
For people, yes: about 77.7%[5] of Oregon deaths end in cremation, according to Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Redmond follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Redmond?
Usually yes. Bend is about 15 miles away, Lebanon is about 87 miles away and Springfield is about 90 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Is there a free pet loss hotline I can call?
Several US veterinary schools have run pet loss support lines staffed by trained students, including Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine; hours change, so check the current schedule before calling. The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement runs free online support as well. If you're in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 at any hour.
Why aren't there more pet loss groups in Redmond if so many pets die?
By our estimate, around 1,200 dogs and cats die in Redmond 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.
Can I join a pet loss group in another town?
Yes. Most groups welcome anyone who's grieving, wherever they live, and some people prefer a group a little further from home so they're less likely to run into neighbors. Online groups remove the distance entirely. Before driving to a group near Portland or further afield, check it's still meeting, and ask if it's fine to just listen the first 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] Oregon had a 77.7% cremation rate in 2024, among the highest in the US. Direct Cremate (citing CANA), 2024.
- [6] Only 11% of employers offer paid pet loss leave, according to an AbsenceSoft survey. AbsenceSoft — Understanding Pet Bereavement Leave and Its Importance to Today's Workforce, 2025.
- [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.
Find a group or counselor near Redmond
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.