Pet bereavement support for Highland families
Around 660 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.
- Free groups and helplines, explained
- Counselors who understand animal loss
- Crisis numbers if things feel too heavy
Highland, Utah
Where Highland pet owners find support
Highland is full of young families, so for many children here a pet's death is the first loss they've faced. Short, truthful sentences help more than euphemisms. Invite kids to plan part of the farewell, maybe choosing where in the yard to gather or which song to play, and let them see adults cry. Feeling included tends to make the day less frightening.
Some Highland families hold a remembrance when the scrub oak turns red at the mouth of American Fork Canyon in the fall; others wait for early summer, when the garden is in full bloom. There's no deadline. A closed urn keeps the ashes safe for years, so the gathering can wait until everyone, including older siblings living away, can make it home.
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 Salt Lake City or a larger center such as Salt Lake City are worth a look before you rule it out.
About 21,571 people live in Highland, which makes it the 46th-largest of the 52 Utah communities we cover. Salt Lake City, roughly 24 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Highland run from there.
For a second opinion on price, American Fork (3 miles), Lehi (4 miles, a larger centre) and Pleasant Grove (5 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Highland routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
7,950
Highland: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
21,571 ÷ 2.5 = 8,628 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 7,950. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
660
Estimated dog and cat losses in Highland each year
How we calculated this
7,950 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 660 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.
How people in Utah mark a death
With about 46.1%[5] of people cremated, Utah is a place where burial, religious services and visiting graves are still common ways to mourn. Some grieving pet owners feel their loss doesn't fit those traditions. It can. Many clergy and community groups are open to acknowledging a pet's death, and a simple blessing or a few words at a backyard burial sits comfortably within local custom.
That Utah 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.
Planning remembrance around Highland's weather
Highland gets both extremes: summer highs around 95°F in July and freezing lows in January, February, November and December. Each season can bring its own wave of grief, from the first hot walk without them to the first snow they'd have loved. Knowing that ahead of time helps; a wave doesn't mean you're going backwards, it means a season remembered them.
Grief can shift with the seasons in Highland. Winter's dark evenings can make the house feel emptier, while the long days of July can make everyone else's cheerfulness hard to be around. Plan a little for each: something warm and social for the winter months, and a quiet outdoor ritual at the cool end of a summer day.
Budgeting for support and aftercare in Highland
No reliable survey tracks what pet loss counseling costs in Highland, so we won't invent a number. What we can say: groups and helplines are usually free, while licensed therapists charge per session and some bill insurance for grief-related symptoms. Grieving families often face aftercare bills at the same time. Nationally, in-clinic euthanasia averages $139[6] and private dog cremation $260[7].
The full price table by product is on our Utah 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.
Before an outdoor goodbye in Utah
Renting in Utah adds a layer: most leases don't allow a burial in the yard, and some landlords object to planting. A memorial pot you can take with you, ashes kept indoors or a scattering somewhere you have permission are all workable alternatives. The general Utah rules follow, and your lease or landlord can confirm the rest.
The official Utah local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Highland.
The rules that apply across Utah (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our Utah page. Highland may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
A gentle plan for the weeks ahead
- Tell children plainly that your pet died and can't come back. Avoid 'went to sleep', which can make bedtime frightening.
- Give everyone a job in the goodbye. One child draws a card, another picks the photo, someone else chooses the garden spot.
- Keep daily routines steady for children and other pets. Predictability helps both feel safe.
- Let the school know when a child is struggling. A teacher who's been told can be gentle instead of surprised by tears in class.
- Watch your other animals. A surviving pet may wander the rooms or go off food for a bit. More attention and the usual routine tend to settle them.
- Plan a small family ritual about four weeks out. It gives everyone a date to look toward instead of only a loss to get past.
Ways Highland families remember a pet
The quiet after a pet dies can be jarring in a busy household, and parents sometimes set their own grief aside to look after the kids. Make room for yours too. Veterinary schools offer free phone support, and online pet-loss groups meet on weeknights. If sleep, appetite or mood are still off after several weeks, a therapist who understands animal loss can help.
For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, or see how other readers answered in our polls, use the free tools before you ring anyone, there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details. More local pages: Salt Lake City, West Valley City, St. George and Lehi, the Utah 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.
Which moment of the day feels emptiest now?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What words did you use to tell a child the pet had 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 does Highland's weather affect pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Highland, with average highs around 95°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February, November and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Highland?
The closest communities we cover are American Fork (about 3 miles), Lehi (about 4 miles) and Pleasant Grove (about 5 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Highland too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Why does the Highland page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) reports about 46.1%[5] of Utah residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Roughly how many pets die in Highland each year?
Our estimate is around 660. It comes from Highland's population (about 21,571), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 7,950 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Are there pet loss support groups in Highland?
Some areas have regular groups and some don't, and listings go out of date quickly. Start by asking your vet, your nearest emergency animal hospital and the local humane society or animal charity, since they often host groups or know who does. Check that a group has met recently before you go. If nothing meets near Highland this month, an online group in your time zone offers the same understanding without the drive.
Why do I feel so guilty after putting my pet to sleep?
Because you were responsible for them and had to decide with incomplete information. Guilt is one of the most common reactions after euthanasia, even when the timing was right. Most pets now die this way: in a large US study, 83.0%[9] of dog deaths were by euthanasia. Writing down what you knew on the day, and talking it through with someone, usually eases the loop.
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 Utah's cremation rate at 46.1% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for in-clinic dog euthanasia at $139 (range $110-$253). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [7] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for private dog cremation at $260 (range $206-$473). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [8] 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.
- [9] In the Dog Aging Project, 83.0% of 646 US dog deaths (Dec 2019-Mar 2021) were by euthanasia. Dog Aging Project End of Life Survey - Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (2026), via PubMed Central, 2026.
Ask us to look for support near you
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.