Pet memorial stones in Firestone that stand up to the weather
By our estimate, about 7,400 households in Firestone have a dog or cat, and roughly 620 of those pets are lost each year. Many end up remembered with a stone in a garden bed; here's how to choose one that lasts.
- Granite, slate, river rock and cast stone compared
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- Options you can lift and move if you relocate
Firestone, Colorado
Stone makers, yards and delivery in Firestone
Because so many Firestone families arrived recently, memorial choices often reflect the thought that they may move again. Portable keepsakes, ashes divided among relatives in other states, or a photo book can all travel easily. If you want the ashes split between several people, tell the provider before cremation so they can prepare separate containers rather than you dividing them at the kitchen table.
Most Firestone homes are recent builds on compact lots governed by covenants, and those rules shape where a memorial can go. Anything kept inside, from a shelf urn to a portrait or a ring holding ashes, stays clear of the HOA altogether. If you would like an outdoor stone or planting, a back garden bed out of view from the street is usually the simplest choice.
In a town the size of Firestone, there may be no monument company at all, and that's fine. Online makers ship small stones anywhere, and a larger center such as Denver 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.
Firestone is home to about 20,129 people, the 33rd-largest of the 36 Colorado communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Denver, about 29 miles (46 km) away, which is where some providers serving Firestone are based.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Frederick (4 miles), Longmont (8 miles, a larger centre) and Erie (9 miles, a larger centre), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
7,400
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Firestone
How we calculated this
20,129 ÷ 2.5 = 8,052 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 7,400. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
620
Estimated dog and cat losses in Firestone each year
How we calculated this
7,400 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 620 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.
To check the figures yourself, see Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Burial, cremation and headstones in Colorado
In Colorado, cremation is chosen for roughly 77.4%[5] of the people who die, and families often divide a pet's ashes: some in an urn, some for a grown child, some for the garden. Each household may then want its own marker. A set of small matching stones from one maker, each with the same name and dates, keeps the family connected across different homes.
The Colorado 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 Firestone, not as a count of pets.
How the climate in Firestone ages a memorial
Frozen ground in Firestone during January, February, March, November and December can make digging hard or impossible. If your pet died in winter, a temporary marker and a spring installation are perfectly normal. Many families keep the engraved stone indoors until the ground thaws, which also gives you time to see the proof and check the wording properly.
With 5 months of freezing lows in Firestone, frost heave is as big a risk as cracking. Wet soil expands as it freezes and can tilt a stone set directly on the ground. Set yours on 3 to 4 inches of compacted gravel so water drains away, and choose a flat, wide marker over a tall narrow one. Our cold-weather memorial notes go further.
What a pet memorial stone costs in Firestone
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.
Prices for Firestone track the wider Colorado market, so use the Colorado price table as your baseline and the services page to see what is included.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Where a pet stone can go in Colorado
Rented homes, condos and strata properties need a different plan. You usually can't bury a pet in shared grounds, and anything fixed in place may have to be removed when you leave. A stone with a sealed ashes compartment, or a heavy engraved rock on a patio, gives you a memorial without breaking the lease. Here's the local picture for Colorado.
Not sure which office covers Firestone? The Colorado local government directory is the official list.
The Colorado page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Firestone's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
Ordering a pet memorial stone, step by step
- Decide whether the stone should travel with you. If you rent, or a move is on the horizon, keep it light enough to carry to the next house.
- Pick a spot you'll see every day, from a window or the back door, rather than a far corner you rarely visit.
- Keep it clear of pipes and roots. Have buried utilities located before you put a spade in, and stay well back from the base of any tree.
- Order a stone rated for outdoor use in your climate, with sandblasted lettering at least an eighth of an inch deep.
- Check the proof carefully. After cutting, there's no fixing a misspelled name, a wrong year or a stray comma.
- Install it, then look after it lightly: a gentle brushing with clean water a couple of times a year is all it needs.
Making the stone a place to visit
Hail is a genuine hazard across southwest Weld County, and it can chip glass or ceramic memorials left outside. Granite, bronze and cast concrete are safer bets for the garden. Freeze-thaw cycles from November into March can heave stones out of level, so set them on a bed of compacted gravel. A tree urn planted in late spring has the whole summer to root before winter.
look through our guides and the blog, Compare every option on our services page, try the free planning tools, or see what other families chose in the poll results. Close to Firestone we also cover Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, Denver and Lakewood; the full list for Colorado 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.
Where would your pet's stone go?
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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 Firestone?
By our estimate, about 7,400 households in Firestone have at least one dog or cat, and around 620 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 20,129, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Firestone?
The closest communities we cover are Frederick (about 4 miles), Longmont (about 8 miles) and Erie (about 9 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Firestone too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Will I have to travel to Denver to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Denver (roughly 29 miles from Firestone) 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.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Firestone?
January, February, March, November and December: average lows are below freezing then, and frozen ground makes a home grave slow or impossible until it thaws. The other pressure point is July, when highs around 88°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Will a slate pet memorial crack in the Firestone winter?
It might. Slate is layered, and in places where average lows stay below freezing for months, water can work between the layers and split it. If you love the look of slate, fix it to a wall or fence, keep it off wet soil, or bring it into a porch for January, February, March, November and December. Granite is the safer outdoor choice.
Is it too late to get a stone for a pet who died years ago?
Not at all. Many families order a stone months or years later, once they know where they'll settle or when the grief has softened enough to choose words. If you're not sure exactly where your pet was buried, a stone can mark the general area or a spot in the garden they loved.
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 Colorado's cremation rate at 77.4% 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] Across five posted US pet-cemetery price lists, the median whole-body burial for a small pet, including plot and opening/closing, was about $350. Our estimate: median of [Rainier $150 plot incl. first burial, Cedar Bend $290, Forest $350, Great River $750, Precious Memories $1,500]. How we calculate.
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