Finding pet loss support in Highland Park, Texas
With about 3,250 dog- or cat-owning households in Highland Park by our estimate, pet loss touches a lot of your neighbors. You don't have to carry it alone. Here's where to start.
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Highland Park, Texas
Where Highland Park pet owners find support
Some Park Cities families wait until spring, when the azaleas and redbuds bloom, or for the first cool weekend of autumn before remembering their pet outdoors. Others prefer a quiet evening at home right away. There is no correct time, and some families return to a favorite stretch of Turtle Creek on the anniversary each year to remember together, often bringing a fresh flower.
Busy families are sometimes surprised by how hard pet loss hits. Grief may surface weeks later, in a quiet house or at an empty spot on the sofa. The Dallas area has therapists who specialize in this kind of loss, and support groups meet both in person and online. Reaching out is a sensible thing to do, not an overreaction.
Phone and online support often suit smaller communities better than a long drive. A pet bereavement line needs no booking, an online group can be joined from home after dinner, and video counseling removes the waiting room. If you'd rather sit in a room with people, groups serving Houston or a larger center such as Dallas are worth a look before you rule it out.
Highland Park's population is around 8,764, the 212th-largest of the 325 Texas communities we cover. Dallas, roughly 4 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Highland Park run from there.
Nearby, we also have local pages for University Park (2 miles, a larger centre), Dallas (4 miles, a larger centre) and Farmers Branch (8 miles, a larger centre), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
3,250
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Highland Park
How we calculated this
8,764 ÷ 2.5 = 3,506 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 3,250. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
270
Estimated dog and cat losses in Highland Park each year
How we calculated this
3,250 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 270 a year. The real figure is unlikely to be lower.
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.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science; we only apply it to this.
What local memorial customs mean for your grief
With cremation at about 55.7%[5] in Texas, local customs sit somewhere between formal and relaxed. That middle ground can make it hard to know how much to say about a pet's death at work or among neighbors. A useful rule: share what you'd share about any close loss. A short message, a day or two of quiet and one gathering if you want it is not too much.
The Texas percentage above is from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) and refers to human funerals. Treat it as context for Highland Park, not as a count of pets.
Grieving through the Highland Park year
Long, bright summer days can feel at odds with grief. When everyone around Highland Park seems to be outside enjoying themselves, a loss can feel more isolating. It's fine to take it slowly: stay inside when you need to, and choose one small outdoor thing each day, like watering a plant you've chosen in your pet's memory at the cool end of the evening.
Grief is physically tiring, and heat adds to it. In Highland Park, where August highs average about 97°F, people who've just lost a pet often forget to eat or drink properly, then wonder why they feel so flat. Keep a water bottle within reach and eat something simple at regular times. Looking after your body won't take the sadness away, but it gives you more to meet it with.
What's free, and what isn't, in Highland Park
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 Highland Park families face, alongside the typical cost of each kind of support.
We keep the detailed Texas price table on one page so it stays current: see Texas prices.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Rules that shape a goodbye in Texas
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 Texas summary we keep.
To find your county or city office in Texas, start with the official Texas local government directory.
The Texas page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Highland Park's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
What helps, one step at a time
- Ask for time off in specific terms. One or two named days, or a day working from home, is easier for a manager to agree to than an open request.
- Tell one colleague you trust what's happened, so someone in the office gets the silence.
- Plan the hardest hours. If mornings or evenings feel emptiest, schedule a call, a walk or a class for those times.
- Try one kind of support this week. Ring a helpline, join an online group, or book an initial session with a counselor.
- Write down what you knew on the day if guilt about the decision keeps coming back. Seeing it on paper often quiets the loop.
- Choose a date to remember them, such as the anniversary or their birthday, and decide on one thing you'll do.
Remembering your pet around Highland Park
On Highland Park's tree-lined blocks, families often know each other's animals from years of the same morning routines, so a loss is noticed. A short gathering at home or a few words over coffee with neighbors can mark the moment. Children may want to plant a flower, write a note or pick out a photo to frame, and friends from the block may appreciate a short message letting them know.
Every option Highland Park families choose between is on the services page, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, try the free planning tools, or see what other families chose in the poll results. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Austin, and every city in Texas.
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.
How do you mark the day 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
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Highland Park?
There is no frozen-ground season here; average lows stay above freezing all year. The other pressure point is August, when highs around 97°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Will I have to travel to Dallas to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Dallas (roughly 4 miles from Highland Park) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
Is Highland Park big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 3,250 Highland Park households keep a dog or cat and around 270 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 8,764), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Is cremation common in Texas?
For people, yes: about 55.7%[5] of Texas deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Highland Park follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Can I take bereavement leave when my pet dies in Texas?
Pet bereavement leave is rarely written into law, so it depends on your employer. Only 11%[6] of US employers offer paid pet loss leave, according to AbsenceSoft. Check your handbook for bereavement or personal days, then ask your manager for one or two specific days, or a day working from home. A short, calm request usually works better than a long explanation.
Is it normal to grieve my pet more than some people I've lost?
Yes, and it's more common than people admit. In a 2026 UK study, 21.0%[8] of people who had lost both a pet and a person named the pet's death as their most distressing loss. Research comparing the two found closeness, not species, is the strongest predictor of how much it hurts. A pet shares every ordinary hour, which is exactly why the gap feels so big.
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 Texas's cremation rate at 55.7% 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] 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.
- [8] Among UK adults who had lost both a pet and a person, 21.0% named the pet's death as their most distressing bereavement. Hyland et al., 'No pets allowed: Evidence that prolonged grief disorder can occur following the death of a pet', PLOS ONE (2026), 2026.
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