A lasting stone for your pet in Monterey
By our count, roughly 890 Monterey families lose a dog or cat every year. A memorial stone is one of the few decisions with no deadline, so here's what to know before you order.
- Granite, slate, river rock and cast stone compared
- Setting fees and cemetery rules in plain words
- Options you can lift and move if you relocate
Monterey, California
Stone makers, yards and delivery in Monterey
Monterey homes range from historic cottages near downtown to hillside houses among the pines, and many have small, shady or sloping gardens. A small urn, a framed paw print or a pendant holding a little ash suits indoor spaces, while a stone or planted memorial can fit a courtyard or garden bed. Choose where the memorial will sit first, then pick the form and material.
Salt air, fog and wind are what outdoor memorials face in Monterey, rather than heat or frost. Granite and glazed ceramics weather well; some metals corrode and some woods soften in the damp. If you plant over a bio urn, a coastal native shrub or ground cover will usually handle the conditions, and the regular fog means less watering than inland gardens need.
In a town the size of Monterey, there may be no monument company at all, and that's fine. Online makers ship small stones anywhere, and a larger center such as San Jose usually has a monument company that will engrave a pet marker. Rural makers are sometimes the most flexible: many will cut a small marker from leftover granite if you ask directly.
With roughly 28,953 residents, Monterey is the 221st-largest of the 307 California communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Monterey are based about 51 miles away in San Jose, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
For a second opinion on price, Pacific Grove (2 miles), Seaside (3 miles) and Carmel-by-the-Sea (3 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Monterey routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
10,500
Monterey: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
28,953 ÷ 2.5 = 11,581 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 10,500. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
890
Monterey families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
10,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 890 a year. Treat it as a minimum.
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.
Burial, cremation and headstones in California
In high-cremation places such as California, with 70.5%[5] of human deaths ending in cremation, a pet stone often stands in for a grave that never existed. That can matter more than people expect. Having a fixed place to go on an anniversary, even a small stone in a flower bed, gives grief a destination that an urn on a shelf sometimes doesn't.
For the California 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 Monterey rather than as pet data.
Choosing a stone that suits Monterey's seasons
A mild climate like Monterey's gives you room to choose on looks rather than survival. Slate plaques, sandstone and weathered river rock all suit gardens here. Soft stones like sandstone and limestone do absorb water, so expect them to darken and grow moss over time; if you want crisp lettering for decades, granite is still the safer bet.
Even in a mild place like Monterey, where lows in December average around 41°F, drainage matters. Water sitting under a stone encourages algae and lets it sink at one corner. Set it on a thin layer of gravel, keep mulch and soil off its face, and it will look much the same in ten years as on the day you placed it.
Budgeting for the stone, lettering and delivery
Where the stone goes changes the total more than the stone itself. A stone in your own yard costs only what you pay the maker and the carrier. At a pet cemetery, you may also pay for the plot, a marker-setting fee (one Washington cemetery district charges $130[6]) and upkeep. The table below shows typical stone prices before any of those extras.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for California: California 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.
Permissions worth checking in California
Pet cemeteries in California each set their own marker rules: size, material, whether upright stones are allowed and who installs them. Human cemeteries generally don't accept pets. If you plan a cemetery stone, get the rules sheet first. For a home memorial, here's what we know about burial and scattering locally.
Not sure which office covers Monterey? The California local government directory is the official list.
The California page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Monterey's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
Ordering a pet memorial stone, step by step
- Note exactly where the grave is today. Count the steps from two things that won't move, like a post and the porch step, and photograph it before raking evens out the ground.
- Cover the fresh soil with something heavy and flat, like a paving slab or an upturned planter, so digging animals leave it alone while it settles.
- Leave the permanent stone for a few weeks. In the first days everything seems to need deciding at once; this decision keeps until you've had some proper rest.
- Top up the soil as it sinks. A new grave often drops a few inches; add soil, firm it with your foot and wait for it to stop moving.
- Measure the settled patch and choose a stone wide enough to cover most of it, which also discourages anything from digging there later.
- Set the finished stone on gravel over the firmed ground, and once a good downpour has been through, put a level on it a second time.
Keeping the memory close
Monterey was California's capital under Spain and Mexico, and the town takes pride in preserving its adobes and its Cannery Row history. That sense of permanence often shapes memorials here: an engraved stone, a planted tree or a keepsake meant to be passed down. For households that may move on, a portable piece means the memory travels with you. Old adobe gardens here show how long a well-chosen stone can last.
The services page is the place to compare what is included, or see what other families chose in the poll results, look through our guides and the blog, try the free planning tools. If you live between Monterey and Fresno, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, either page applies. Every other community in California, and all of the United States, is listed too.
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 moved house, what would happen to the memorial?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Which stone would you choose for your pet's marker?
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If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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Free tools to help you plan
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Memorial stone planner
Plan size, material and engraving length so your wording fits the stone.
Memorial tree finder
Pick a tree for a planting urn that suits your climate, space and pet.
Questions people ask
How many pet owners live in Monterey?
By our estimate, about 10,500 households in Monterey have at least one dog or cat, and around 890 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 28,953, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Where are the providers that serve Monterey actually based?
Some are local, and some run from San Jose, about 51 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Monterey and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
How does Monterey's weather affect pet aftercare?
September is the hottest month in Monterey, with average highs around 74°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Winters are mild, with average lows staying above freezing, so outdoor burial or scattering is usually possible year round.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Monterey?
Usually yes. Pacific Grove is about 2 miles away, Seaside is about 3 miles away and Carmel-by-the-Sea is about 3 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Can a memorial stone hold my pet's ashes?
Yes. Some stones have a hollow underside sealed with a plug, or a cavity behind a screwed plate. Check the stated capacity: ashes typically weigh about 3-5% of body weight[8], so a large dog may need more space than most garden stones offer. A waterproof inner bag protects the ashes from damp.
How do I set a memorial stone so it stays level?
Dig a shallow bed slightly larger than the stone, add 2 to 4 inches of gravel, tamp it firm and level it with a board and a spirit level. Settle the stone on top and check again. For a lawn, set it flush with the grass so a mower can pass over. Heavy upright stones need a proper footing.
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 California's cremation rate at 70.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Rainier Cemetery District's pet section sells plots for $150 (small) and $200 (large), including the first burial; a marker-setting fee is $130. Rainier Cemetery District – The Companion Corner, 2026.
- [7] Engraved pet garden stones start at about $39 at the median of three US sellers. Our estimate: median of starting prices [$38 Adirondack, $38.95 Memorials.com, $89.99 Comfort Co.]. How we calculate.
- [8] 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.
Price a pet memorial stone in Monterey
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.