Growing something from the goodbye in Garland
By our estimate, around 92,000 households in Garland share their home with a dog or cat, and roughly 7,650 of those pets die each year. More of those families now ask about planting or water memorials. Here's how to do it well.
- When to plant in your season
- How much ash your urn must hold
- Aquamation providers in your area
Garland, Texas
Your living memorial options around Garland
Garland's backyards give many families room for an engraved stone under a shade tree, a crape myrtle planted in memory, or a small bed of flowers. Indoors, a wooden urn on the bookshelf or a framed paw print works well in a ranch-style living room. If you might move, choose something portable. Pick the spot, and the material usually suggests itself.
Lake Ray Hubbard at sunset, the Duck Creek greenbelt and the city's neighborhood parks hold a lot of Garland memories of life with a pet, and some families would like a spoonful of ashes to rest there. City parks and the lake have their own rules on scattering, so check first. Plenty of families simply keep the urn at home and carry a pinch in a keepsake.
If other pets still share your home in Garland, choose the memorial plant with them in mind. Lilies are dangerous to cats, and sago palms, oleander and yew are toxic to dogs and many other animals. A vet or the nursery can confirm which plants are safe. It would be a sad twist for the memorial to harm the animals who are still with you.
Garland is home to about 249,625 people, the 13th-largest of the 325 Texas communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Garland are based about 8 miles away in Plano, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
For a second opinion on price, Sachse (5 miles), Rowlett (5 miles) and Richardson (6 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Garland routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
92,000
How many dog- or cat-owning households Garland has (estimate)
How we calculated this
249,625 ÷ 2.5 = 99,850 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 92,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
7,650
dog and cat deaths per year in Garland, our estimate
How we calculated this
92,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 7,650 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 Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Cremation, burial and green choices in Texas
Faith shapes these choices in Texas, where cremation covers about 55.7%[5] of deaths and burial much of the rest. Some traditions that prefer burial for people have no view on pets; others do. If this matters to anyone in your household, ask a faith leader you trust. A planting urn puts the ashes back into the ground, which many people find sits comfortably with a burial tradition.
For the Texas figure we rely on NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Read it as a picture of local custom around death and remembrance in Garland rather than as pet data.
Seasons, soil and weather for a memorial in Garland
Summer water can be busy or unsafe in hot places. Around Garland, shorelines are crowded in August, and some lakes close for algae blooms in the heat. For a lake or river goodbye, pick a cooler month or go at first light, check for any water-quality notices, and choose a spot where you can reach the water easily without slipping.
Hot weather in Garland changes the plan for a planting ceremony too. With August highs near 97°F, an outdoor gathering at midday is uncomfortable and stressful for the new plant. Choose an early morning or evening in a cooler month, set out shade and water for guests, and water the tree in well straight after planting. A light, pale mulch helps keep the root zone cool.
Budgeting for a living memorial in Garland
Bio urns vary more in price than you might expect. A national guide puts biodegradable urns at $70–$260[6], depending on material, size and whether a seed or tree system is included. For a lake or sea release, one water urn designed to float briefly and dissolve sells for $149[7]. In Garland, the tree and the soil amendments are usually the cheapest part of the whole memorial.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Texas 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.
Land, water and permission in Texas
What you plant can matter as much as where. Parks and nature reserves in Texas often forbid planting anything at all, and even on private land some trees and shrubs are listed as invasive in parts of the region. A local nursery or native plant society can steer you toward a species that won't spread into wild land.
The official Texas local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Garland.
The Texas page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Garland's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
Your next steps, whatever your situation
- If euthanasia is planned, find out from the practice beforehand which crematory handles their aftercare and whether aquamation is available through them.
- Book the aftercare before the appointment, so on the day itself you only have to be with your pet.
- Ask for a paw print or nose print before cremation if you'd like one. It can't be made afterwards.
- Choose the plant in advance if that helps you. Some families find it comforting to know exactly where their pet will rest.
- Skip the display urn. A simple box or tube from the crematory is all a planting needs, and the saving can go toward the tree or shrub.
- Prepare the soil blend while you wait for the ashes, so the planting can follow within a season rather than drifting on for years.
Living memorials beyond the backyard
Garland is home to one of the largest Vietnamese American communities in North Texas, and many families keep a home altar for ancestors with incense, fruit and photographs. Some now include a pet's photo or urn nearby, and other families here use a candle and picture instead. Ask early about paw prints and fur clippings, which must be made before cremation.
or see what other families chose in the poll results, Compare every option on our services page, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures. More local pages: Austin, Houston, El Paso and San Antonio, the Texas 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.
What kind of tree or plant would you choose?
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
Why does the Garland 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 55.7%[5] of Texas residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Garland?
Usually yes. Sachse is about 5 miles away, Rowlett is about 5 miles away and Richardson is about 6 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Is Garland big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 92,000 Garland households keep a dog or cat and around 7,650 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 249,625), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Does the Garland climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In August, with highs near 97°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. Winters here are mild enough that burial or scattering is possible in any month.
Where can I buy a native tree for a pet memorial in Garland?
A local nursery or garden center is the best place, because staff know what survives local heat, cold and soil. Some county extension offices and native plant societies run plant sales too. Ask for a two-year-old sapling of a species that tolerates slightly alkaline soil, and ask how much water it needs in its first summer.
How many dogs and cats are there in Garland?
By our estimate, about 92,000 households in Garland have a dog or a cat, and around 7,650 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 Texas's cremation rate at 55.7% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Funeral.com cites U.S. Funerals Online that biodegradable urns typically cost about $70–$260. Funeral.com – How Much Do Cremation Urns Cost in 2025, 2025.
- [7] The Living Urn's Eco Water Urn for water burial costs $149 and holds up to 225 cubic inches; it floats for several minutes before dissolving. The Living Urn – Eco Water Urn, 2026.
- [8] About 59 million U.S. pet-owning households may be open to eco-friendly aftercare options. Our estimate: 86.9M pet households x 68% interested in green funeral options. How we calculate.
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