A living memorial for your pet in Des Moines
Roughly 6,500 Des Moines families say goodbye to a dog or cat each year, by our count. A living memorial is one way to mark it. This guide explains how to make one that actually grows.
- Planting, garden and water urns compared
- Honest notes on local rules
- Help choosing a native species
Des Moines, Iowa
Where a living memorial fits in Des Moines
Iowa families tend to scatter as children grow up, to Iowa City, Ames, Minneapolis or Chicago, and a family pet may be the last shared link to the house they grew up in. Cremation jewelry, small keepsake urns and paw print impressions let each person hold on to something. If you'd like the ashes divided, ask when you order, so they come back in several containers ready to send or hand out at the holidays.
A memorial stone in a Des Moines yard has to cope with deep winter frost, spring storms, hail and humid summers, so granite with deep engraving tends to last far better than painted or resin pieces. Many families keep the ashes in an indoor urn through the winter and place a stone or plant a shrub in April or May. A spot under a tree your pet liked, where you can see it from the kitchen, often works well.
Many Des Moines households have a yard, which opens up the classic option: a memorial tree in the ground. Before you pick a spot, think ten or twenty years ahead. A tree needs distance from the house, sewer lines and overhead wires, and it stays with the property when you sell. If a move is likely, a large container, a relative's garden or a shrub bed that a future owner won't mind are all kinder choices than a shade tree you'll have to leave behind.
Des Moines is home to about 212,086 people, the largest of the 27 Iowa communities we cover.
Nearby, we also have local pages for West Des Moines (8 miles), Altoona (9 miles) and Urbandale (9 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
78,000
How many dog- or cat-owning households Des Moines has (estimate)
How we calculated this
212,086 ÷ 2.5 = 84,834 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 78,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
6,500
dog and cat deaths per year in Des Moines, our estimate
How we calculated this
78,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 6,500 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.
Where these figures come from: Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
What local attitudes to cremation mean in Iowa
In Iowa, with a human cremation rate of roughly 63.6%[5], you'll often find pet cemeteries and pet crematories operating side by side. Some cemeteries now offer small plots for ashes, occasionally with a tree or shrub above them. That's worth comparing with a garden planting at home: a cemetery plot stays put if you move, while your own garden costs nothing and stays private.
The Iowa 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 Des Moines, not as a count of pets.
What Des Moines's climate means for a living memorial
Freezing and thawing through January, February, March, November and December can heave a newly planted tree out of the ground in Des Moines. If you plant in autumn, mulch well after the first frost to keep the soil temperature steady, and check the base of the tree in spring. A spring planting avoids the problem entirely and gives roots a full growing season before the next winter.
In places like Des Moines, driveways and sidewalks are often salted in January, February, March, November and December. Ashes already add sodium to the soil, and road salt splashed onto the same bed doubles the load. Keep a memorial planting well back from salted paths and the edge of the road, and away from where snow gets piled. A spot uphill from the drive is better than one downhill of it.
Eco memorial prices, from urn to tree
Add up every part before you commit. Beyond the cremation, a living memorial in Des Moines can include the bio urn, compost and bark, a pH kit, the tree or shrub, a guard against deer or rabbits, and perhaps a marker. Our memorial budget planner lists each line so nothing surprises you. Most families find the tree is the cheapest part and the cremation the most expensive.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Iowa: Iowa 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.
What Iowa allows for ashes, in general terms
Rules about ashes were mostly written for people, and pet ashes often sit in a grey area. That's a reason to ask, not a reason to assume. On land you own, planting or burying ashes is generally fine. Anywhere else in Iowa, from parks to beaches to a friend's field, the land manager or owner decides, so ask first.
Not sure which office covers Des Moines? The Iowa local government directory is the official list.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Iowa level first; our Iowa rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Des Moines or your HOA adds anything.
A simple plan for your pet's eco memorial
- If you find your pet has died at home, lift them carefully onto a blanket or towel and lay them in the coolest part of the house, then phone the vet or a nearby pet crematory. Most can either pick them up or point you to a drop-off place.
- Say you want individual cremation, then mention that the ashes are going into a bio urn. Saying so up front keeps the provider from offering a communal service where nothing comes back.
- Keep the collar, a tag and a little fur before your pet leaves the house. These can go into the planting later, or into a small keepsake box.
- Leave the memorial decisions for another week. Nobody should have to settle on a species and a spot on the evening their pet died.
- When the ashes arrive, open the box once to see how much there is and how the inner bag is sealed, then put the lid back and keep it somewhere dry.
- Use our [memorial tree finder](/tools/memorial-tree-finder) once you feel ready, and plan the planting for a calm weekend in the right season.
Living memorials beyond the backyard
Gray's Lake with its lit footbridge, Water Works Park and the trails that follow the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers through the city are places many families shared with their pets, and some want to remember them there. City parks and waterways have their own rules on scattering, so check before you go. Keeping the ashes at home, or planting a tree with a biodegradable urn once the ground thaws, is simpler to arrange.
or compare your instinct with the poll results, The services page is the place to compare what is included, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones. Close to Des Moines we also cover Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, Iowa City and Ankeny; the full list for Iowa 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 kind of tree or plant would you choose?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Would you consider releasing your pet's ashes in water?
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.
Memorial tree finder
Pick a tree for a planting urn that suits your climate, space and pet.
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Questions people ask
Which nearby towns can I compare with Des Moines?
The closest communities we cover are West Des Moines (about 8 miles), Altoona (about 9 miles) and Urbandale (about 9 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Des Moines too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
How do Iowa attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Iowa human cremation rate at about 63.6%[5]. We show it on the Des Moines 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.
Does the Des Moines climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 86°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.
Is Des Moines big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 78,000 Des Moines households keep a dog or cat and around 6,500 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 212,086), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Is it legal to release pet ashes in the sea or a river?
Rules differ by place and by who manages the water, and many were written for human remains. In general, avoid drinking-water reservoirs, busy swimming areas and places where anglers gather, use a water-soluble urn or loose ashes only, and let nothing plastic float away. Ask the relevant agency or landowner before the day.
How much does pet aquamation cost?
One US pet insurer's guide lists aquamation at $80 to $450 depending on size[7]. As a real example, a Delaware provider charges $150–$450[8] for private aquamation by weight, including a standard urn, and $50–$225[9] for communal. Prices in Des Moines depend on who offers it, so ask for a written total.
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 Iowa's cremation rate at 63.6% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] U.S. pet flame cremations emit on the order of 47,000 t CO2e a year. Our estimate: 1.5M pet cremations x 31.3 kg CO2e. How we calculate.
- [7] Embrace Pet Insurance lists US communal cremation at $30-$200, partitioned at $50-$250, private at $100-$500+ and aquamation at $80-$450. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [8] Delaware Pet Aquamation charges $150–$450 for private aquamation by weight, from under 10 lb to 150 lb and over, including a standard urn. Delaware Pet Aquamation – Pricing, 2026.
- [9] Communal aquamation at the same Delaware provider costs $50–$225 by weight. Delaware Pet Aquamation – Pricing, 2026.
Plan a living memorial in Des Moines
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.