A living memorial for your pet in Allentown
Allentown has an estimated 46,500 dog- or cat-owning households. When a planting or water memorial feels right for yours, here's what works in the local climate and what to ask before you buy.
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Allentown, Pennsylvania
Bio urns, trees and water in Allentown
Hard freezes and summer humidity both test outdoor memorials in the Lehigh Valley. Granite and bronze hold up; soft stone cracks in the freeze-thaw cycle. If you want to plant a memorial tree or shrub with ashes, wait until the ground thaws in spring, and choose a hardy species such as a dogwood, redbud or lilac. Set any stone on a gravel bed so frost heave doesn't tilt it.
Allentown's rowhouses and walk-up apartments rarely have more than a small patch of yard, so a lot of memorials here live indoors: an urn on the mantel, a framed paw print by the stairs, a pendant worn to work. A windowsill planter with a few spoonfuls of ashes mixed into the soil is another option for city households. If siblings want their own share, add up the capacities before buying anything.
In a city like Allentown, a living memorial is often shared by a whole street's worth of memories: the dog everyone waved to, the cat on the porch. Some people choose a spot in the front yard, where neighbors can see the tree flower each spring. If you do, pick a tidy, compact species and a simple stone or plant marker, and keep the ash mix well away from the vegetable bed and any shared fence lines.
Allentown is home to about 126,044 people, the 3rd-largest of the 36 Pennsylvania communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Allentown are based about 48 miles away in Philadelphia, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
The closest communities we cover are Bethlehem (6 miles), Easton (15 miles) and Pottstown (26 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Allentown too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
46,500
Allentown: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
126,044 ÷ 2.5 = 50,418 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 46,500. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
3,850
dog and cat deaths per year in Allentown, our estimate
How we calculated this
46,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 3,850 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.
None of the figures on this this page are ours alone: they rest on American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
The local attitude to ashes and memorials
The human cremation rate in Pennsylvania sits around 61.3%[5], so many families have a foot in both camps, and generations can disagree. Grandparents may expect a grave in the yard; younger relatives may want ashes they can take with them. Talking it through before the vet asks you to choose saves a hard conversation on a hard day. A tree over buried ashes often satisfies both sides.
That Pennsylvania rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Allentown only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Choosing the right month to plant in Allentown
Freezing and thawing through January, February, March and December can heave a newly planted tree out of the ground in Allentown. 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 Allentown, average lows fall below freezing in January, February, March and December, and frozen ground makes digging hard or impossible. That's no reason to rush. Ashes keep safely indoors for as long as you like, so many families wait for spring, once the soil has thawed and drained. Early autumn works too, as long as the tree has about six weeks of open ground to root in before the hard frosts.
Price ranges for planting and water urns
It helps to compare a planted memorial with the alternatives. A pet cemetery burial for a dog averages about $831[6] in the US, which by our estimate is around 3.2 times the national average for private cremation[7]. Private cremation plus a bio urn and a sapling in your own Allentown garden usually comes in far below a cemetery plot, and there are no yearly maintenance fees.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Pennsylvania overview; for what's included in each option, see our services.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Who to ask before you plant or scatter in Pennsylvania
Natural burial grounds and some pet cemeteries in Pennsylvania accept ashes in biodegradable urns, and a few ask for nothing else: no plastic, no metal, no varnish. If you're considering one, ask what the urn may be made of, whether a tree or marker is allowed above it, and whether the fee includes looking after the plot.
Not sure which office covers Allentown? The Pennsylvania local government directory is the official list.
Start with the Pennsylvania rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat Allentown's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
Planting a memorial in Allentown, step by step
- If the pet belonged to a child, tell them plainly what happened and what cremation means, in words that fit their age.
- Let them choose the plant, but from a handful of options you've vetted first for hardiness and for being harmless to the other animals in the house.
- Use a pot for a small pet like a guinea pig, rabbit or hamster: the ashes amount to very little, and a container keeps the memorial within reach.
- Give them real jobs on the day: filling the pot, mixing the soil, watering, choosing a painted stone.
- Explain the ashes honestly as what's left of their pet, now helping the plant to grow, and keep answering whatever they ask, however long afterwards it comes up.
- Take a photo of the child with the plant on the same day every year; over time you'll have a record of the two of them growing up.
Living memorials beyond the backyard
Allentown likes its history; during the Revolution the Liberty Bell was hidden in a church here, and the city still marks it. That respect for keeping things safe shows up in memorials meant to be handed down: a carved wooden box, a brass urn, a quilt made from a pet's old blankets. None of that has to be decided now, but a clay paw impression or a lock of fur must be requested before cremation.
For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, use the free tools before you ring anyone, or look at how readers voted in our polls, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones. More local pages: Scranton, Philadelphia, Reading and Bethlehem, the Pennsylvania 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.
If you rent or might move, how would you handle a memorial planting?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If water cremation (aquamation) were offered near you, would you choose it?
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 Allentown?
The closest communities we cover are Bethlehem (about 6 miles), Easton (about 15 miles) and Pottstown (about 26 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Allentown too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Does the Allentown 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 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 Allentown big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 46,500 Allentown households keep a dog or cat and around 3,850 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 126,044), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Why does the Allentown 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 61.3%[5] of Pennsylvania residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
How much ash will my pet leave, and will it fit a bio urn?
Cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of body weight[9], so a cat returns a few ounces and a large dog several pounds. Many planting kits are designed for a set volume, and a big dog's ashes may not all fit. Use our urn size calculator, and plan to mix any extra into the wider planting bed or keep it for a second memorial.
How many dogs and cats are there in Allentown?
By our estimate, about 46,500 households in Allentown have a dog or a cat, and around 3,850 of those pets die each year. We calculate this from the city's population, average household size and national pet ownership and lifespan figures. The method is shown on this page, and the real number of animals is higher.
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 Pennsylvania's cremation rate at 61.3% 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 pet cemetery burial of a dog at $831 (range $659-$1,513). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [7] US pet cemetery burial for a dog costs about 3.2x a private cremation ($831 vs $260 national averages). Our estimate: 831 / 260 = 3.20. How we calculate.
- [8] If just 10% of U.S. pet cremations moved to aquamation, about 4,200 t CO2e a year would be avoided. Our estimate: 1.5M x 10% x 31.3 kg x 90% reduction. How we calculate.
- [9] Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
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