An outdoor memorial for your pet, made for Seaside
By our count, roughly 970 Seaside 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.
- Which materials crack, fade or grow moss
- What HOAs, landlords and cemeteries allow
- Free help comparing local and online makers
Seaside, California
Local makers and practical limits in Seaside
Seaside has a mix of older bungalows, apartments and newer homes on the former base lands, and many residents are military or university families who may move again. Portable memorials often make sense here: a small urn, a keepsake box or ashes jewelry that travels easily. If you are staying put, a garden stone or planting can mark a favorite spot in the yard.
Salt air, fog and wind are what outdoor memorials face in Seaside, rather than heat or frost. Granite and glazed ceramics weather well; some metals and painted surfaces corrode near the coast. If you plant a bio urn, a coastal native plant will usually handle the conditions and need little care once it settles in. Keep engraved faces out of the direct path of the prevailing wind so salt spray does not dull the lettering, and rinse the surface now and then.
Space is rarely the problem around Seaside. Larger lots mean more families bury their pets at home, often under a favorite tree or at the edge of a field. On open land, choose a flush granite marker or a heavy natural stone that a mower, tractor or curious livestock won't move, and note the spot on a sketch in case the ground changes.
About 31,636 people live in Seaside, which makes it the 209th-largest of the 307 California communities we cover. San Jose, roughly 50 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Seaside run from there.
Our pages for Monterey (3 miles), Pacific Grove (4 miles) and Marina (5 miles) describe the same choices from those towns' point of view, and the providers overlap, so a quote from one often covers Seaside as well.
Our estimate
11,500
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Seaside
How we calculated this
31,636 ÷ 2.5 = 12,654 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 11,500. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
970
dog and cat deaths per year in Seaside, our estimate
How we calculated this
11,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 970 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.
Local traditions and what they mean for a pet stone
Scattering is common in California, since cremation accounts for roughly 70.5%[5] of human deaths there, and many families scatter a pet's ashes on a beach or a favorite trail. You can't leave a stone there, but you can bring the place home: a pebble from that beach set beside an engraved marker, or the trail's name carved on the stone itself.
That California rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Seaside only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Seaside weather and your pet's stone
Seaside is gentle on stone. Winters rarely bring the hard freezes that crack slate and concrete, so you have more choice than owners in colder places: slate, river rock and even good cast stone last well here. The main enemy is damp, especially around January, the wettest month, when moss and algae creep into lettering.
Even in a mild place like Seaside, 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.
What a pet memorial stone costs in Seaside
Pet cemetery burial is where costs climb. A typical pet burial in a sample of 15 US pet cemeteries cost $1,500–$2,000[6], and starting prices ranged from $99–$4,000[7]. One Iowa cemetery charges $400 for a standard granite headstone on top of the plot[8]. A stone for your own garden in Seaside is far cheaper; the table shows the range.
We keep the detailed California price table on one page so it stays current: see California prices.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Home burial, rentals and pet cemeteries 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 Seaside? The California local government directory is the official list.
For California's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the California guide. Local rules in Seaside can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
Ordering a pet memorial stone, step by step
- Photograph the spot now. A picture of the grave or garden bed helps any maker suggest a size that suits it.
- Set a rough budget. Count the marker itself, the engraving, shipping and whatever a cemetery charges to install it; our memorial budget planner totals these for you.
- Choose the material. Match it to your winters and summers rather than the catalog photo.
- Draft two or three wording options and pick the one that still feels right after a few days.
- Send the details for quotes. Size, material, wording, photo and delivery address are all a maker needs.
- Approve the proof and arrange delivery, then set the stone on drained gravel so it stays level for years.
Making the stone a place to visit
Many Seaside families have a connection to the military bases and schools on the Monterey Peninsula, and they often carry memorials with them from post to post. A framed paw print, a nameplate from a collar or a small urn that fits in a moving box can keep a pet's memory with you wherever you are stationed next. If you rent base housing, an indoor memorial avoids any questions about changes to the yard.
the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, Compare every option on our services page, or compare your instinct with the poll results, browse in-depth guides or recent articles. If you live between Seaside and San Jose, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Fresno, 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.
Where would your pet's stone go?
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 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
Which nearby towns can I compare with Seaside?
The closest communities we cover are Monterey (about 3 miles), Pacific Grove (about 4 miles) and Marina (about 5 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Seaside too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Why does the Seaside 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 70.5%[5] of California residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Will I have to travel to San Jose to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in San Jose (roughly 50 miles from Seaside) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
How many pet owners live in Seaside?
By our estimate, about 11,500 households in Seaside have at least one dog or cat, and around 970 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 31,636, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
How many dogs and cats are there in Seaside?
By our estimate, about 11,500 households in Seaside have a dog or cat, and roughly 970 dogs and cats are lost there each year. We calculate this from the city's population, average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures. It's a rough guide to how many families face the same choice as you.
Can I put a pet memorial stone in a rented garden?
Usually yes, as long as it isn't fixed in concrete and you don't bury a body without the landlord's agreement. The simplest approach for renters is a stone you can lift: set on gravel, a garden stone or engraved rock comes out in minutes. A stone with a sealed ashes compartment lets your pet move with you.
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] Furever Memorials' review of 15 US pet cemeteries puts the typical pet burial at $1,500–$2,000. Furever Memorials – Pet Burial Cost (15 cemeteries), 2025.
- [7] Starting burial prices in the 15-cemetery sample ranged from $99–$279 at Savannah Pet Cemetery (Georgia) to $850–$4,000 at Hartsdale (New York). Furever Memorials – Pet Burial Cost (15 cemeteries), 2025.
- [8] At Cedar Bend Humane Society's pet cemetery in Iowa, plot plus burial runs $290–$565 depending on pet size, and a standard granite headstone costs $400. Funeral.com – Pet Cemetery Burial Guide, 2025.
- [9] 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.
Price a pet memorial stone in Seaside
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.