Pet bereavement support for Brookings families
By our estimate, about 780 dogs and cats die in Brookings every year, so someone near you is grieving right now too. Here's where people find support, locally and online.
- No therapy pitch, just clear options
- Ideas for remembering them around Brookings
- Suggestions by email, in your own time
Brookings, South Dakota
Finding your footing after a loss in Brookings
For an aging pet in Brookings, a winter emergency is the scenario worth planning for. Know which aftercare service covers the town, whether it will come out during snow, and roughly what it charges. Talk with your veterinarian about timing as well, and ask whether a home visit for euthanasia is possible if you want your pet to stay in familiar surroundings.
A farewell in Brookings might happen at home on a snowy evening, with candles and a few photos, or in spring beside a freshly planted tree. Some families invite a friend or two from campus or church to share memories and photos. For a more formal goodbye, services in the Sioux Falls area can often set up a private room for a last visit.
Small-town grief has its own rhythms. In Brookings, people may know your pet by sight, ask after them at the gas station or drop by with food the way they would for any loss. That kindness is real, and it's one of the gifts of a small community. If it ever feels like too much, it's fine to say you're not up to talking yet and thank them for thinking of you.
Brookings's population is around 25,355, the 4th-largest of the 10 South Dakota communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Brookings are based about 52 miles away in Sioux Falls, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
For a second opinion on price, Watertown (46 miles), Sioux Falls (53 miles, a larger centre) and Huron (70 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Brookings routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
9,350
Brookings: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
25,355 ÷ 2.5 = 10,142 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 9,350. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
780
Estimated dog and cat losses in Brookings each year
How we calculated this
9,350 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 780 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.
To check the figures yourself, see Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Loss and remembrance in South Dakota
In South Dakota, about 53.2%[5] of people are cremated, and local customs are changing quickly. Many families now hold informal gatherings, share photos online and mark anniversaries in their own way. That makes room for pet loss, too. A short message to friends, a photo shared with a few words or an evening walk on the anniversary can all be part of grieving openly.
The South Dakota figure comes from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Weather, seasons and remembrance in Brookings
Brookings 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 Brookings. 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.
Budgeting for support and aftercare in Brookings
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 Brookings families face, alongside the typical cost of each kind of support.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for South Dakota: South Dakota 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.
Practical rules worth knowing in South Dakota
Two practical questions come up most after a pet dies: can I take time off, and where can I lay them to rest? Time off is between you and your employer, and a child's school will usually excuse a day if you explain. Burial and scattering fall under local rules, and here's the South Dakota summary we keep.
The official South Dakota local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Brookings.
The South Dakota page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Brookings's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
A gentle plan for the weeks ahead
- 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, 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, like lighting a candle, writing down the last good day or sharing a favorite photo.
- 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
Losing a pet in a college town can be isolating when you are far from home. SDSU's counseling services, pet-loss chat lines and national hotlines are all options. Roommates who have never cared for an animal may not grasp the loss; find people who have, and give yourself permission to grieve as long as you need, even through finals week.
the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, or see what other families chose in the poll results, Compare every option on our services page, there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details. If you live between Brookings and Yankton, Sioux Falls, Mitchell and Aberdeen, either page applies. Every other community in South Dakota, 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.
How did your workplace respond when your pet died?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Which kind of support have you tried since your loss?
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
Is Brookings big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 9,350 Brookings households keep a dog or cat and around 780 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 25,355), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Brookings?
Usually yes. Watertown is about 46 miles away, Sioux Falls is about 53 miles away and Huron is about 70 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Does the Brookings climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 81°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February, March, 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.
Where are the providers that serve Brookings actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Sioux Falls, about 52 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Brookings and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
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.
When should I get professional help for pet grief?
Most grief softens with time and ordinary support. Consider a counselor or your doctor if, months later, you can't manage daily life, nothing feels worth doing, the longing is getting stronger or you're leaning on alcohol to cope. In a UK study, 7.5%[8] of people bereaved of a pet met the threshold for prolonged grief disorder. If you ever think about ending your life, contact a crisis line or emergency services right away.
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 South Dakota's cremation rate at 53.2% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 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] A private pet-loss counselling hour (CA$220 in Calgary) costs about as much as a basic private cremation, while at least four university and charity lines in the US, UK and Australia/NZ are free to call. Our estimate: Count of free-to-call lines: Tufts, Cornell, Blue Cross, Pets and People (free call). How we calculate.
- [8] 7.5% of UK adults whose bereavement was the death of a pet met criteria for prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Hyland et al., 'No pets allowed: Evidence that prolonged grief disorder can occur following the death of a pet', PLOS ONE (2026), 2026.
Tell us what would help
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.