Marking your pet's resting place in Lakewood
By our estimate, about 57,500 households in Lakewood have a dog or cat, and roughly 4,800 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.
- Stones matched to winters and summers in Lakewood
- Real published prices, not guesses
- Garden, cemetery or take-it-with-you options
Lakewood, Colorado
Stone makers, yards and delivery in Lakewood
Colorado's intense sun, dry air and freeze-thaw winters are hard on outdoor memorials. Granite and bronze hold up well, while softer stone and painted resin can crack or fade. If you'd like a memorial tree, native species that handle dry summers and cold winters do better. Planting in spring gives roots a full season to settle before the first hard freeze.
Many Lakewood families keep a pet's memorial close: an urn on a mantel, a paw print cast, or a pendant holding a small amount of ashes. If you'd like to scatter some ashes in the mountains later, ask for the ashes to be divided before they're returned, so part stays home in a keepsake urn and part is ready for a trip into the foothills.
Heavier stones don't always come to your door. Freight carriers sometimes deliver to a depot instead, and a granite marker near 40 lb is awkward without a hand truck. When you order for delivery to Lakewood, ask whether the price includes home delivery, whether a liftgate is used and what happens if the stone arrives chipped.
About 156,927 people live in Lakewood, which makes it the 5th-largest of the 36 Colorado communities we cover. Denver, roughly 6 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Lakewood run from there.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Wheat Ridge (5 miles), Denver (5 miles, a larger centre) and Englewood (6 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
57,500
Lakewood: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
156,927 ÷ 2.5 = 62,771 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 57,500. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
4,800
Estimated dog and cat losses in Lakewood each year
How we calculated this
57,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 4,800 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.
We built the this numbers from Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
How local customs shape pet memorials
Cremation is the norm in Colorado: about 77.4%[5] of people who die there are cremated. Pet owners tend to follow the same pattern, which shapes the kind of stone families choose. Here, a memorial stone often marks buried ashes in a flower bed or sits beside an urn, rather than covering a full grave, so smaller stones and ones with a sealed ashes compartment are popular.
The Colorado figure comes from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Lakewood weather and your pet's stone
With 5 months of freezing lows in Lakewood, 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.
Frozen ground in Lakewood 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.
Pet memorial stone prices for families in Lakewood
Pet cemeteries price very differently from garden stones. By our estimate, the median starting burial price across 15 US pet cemeteries is ~$600[6], and a small pet's whole-body burial across five posted price lists comes to ~$350[7], often before any marker. One natural burial ground charges $250 for a boulder headstone, with engraving from $670[8]. A stone for a Lakewood garden avoids those extras.
We keep the detailed Colorado price table on one page so it stays current: see Colorado prices.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Permissions worth checking in Colorado
Before you dig anywhere in Colorado, find out where underground cables and pipes run; in the US, calling 811 gets them marked for free. Then check any homeowners' association covenants, since some limit permanent features or anything visible from the street. A small flush stone in a backyard bed rarely breaks any rule.
Colorado keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Lakewood.
We keep Colorado's burial and scattering rules in one place: the Colorado rules summary. Before a home burial in Lakewood, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
A simple plan for your pet's memorial stone
- Work out what the stone is marking: a grave, buried ashes, a scattering spot or simply a place your pet loved.
- If ashes will go inside the stone, check the cavity size against your pet's ashes with our urn size calculator.
- Choose dense stone and carved lettering. Painted or printed designs look bright on day one but fade outdoors.
- Keep the wording short. Most small stones fit two or three lines of 14 to 16 capital letters.
- Get written quotes from makers who serve your area, and ask what happens if the stone arrives damaged.
- Sign off the proof, and think about placement: a bed of gravel underneath, a spirit level on top, and enough distance from trees that roots won't tilt it.
Keeping the memory close
Bear Creek Lake Park, Green Mountain and the foothills trails around Red Rocks and Morrison are places many Lakewood families link with good times outdoors. If you'd like to scatter some ashes somewhere like that, choose a quiet, private spot and check the rules for any park or open space. Keeping a small portion aside means you'll always have a keepsake at home.
browse in-depth guides or recent articles, See what each option includes on our services page, use the free tools before you ring anyone, or compare your instinct with the poll results. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Thornton, Denver, Aurora and Arvada, and every city in Colorado.
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?
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What feels like the right amount to spend on a garden stone?
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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
Does the Lakewood climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 88°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February, March, November 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.
Will I have to travel to Denver to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Denver (roughly 6 miles from Lakewood) 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.
Is cremation common in Colorado?
For people, yes: about 77.4%[5] of Colorado deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Lakewood follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Lakewood?
Usually yes. Wheat Ridge is about 5 miles away, Denver is about 5 miles away and Englewood 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.
How many dogs and cats are there in Lakewood?
By our estimate, about 57,500 households in Lakewood have a dog or cat, and roughly 4,800 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 engrave a rock from my own garden or land?
Often, yes. Many monument companies will engrave a customer's own stone if its face is dense and smooth enough to hold lettering. Soft, crumbly or heavily layered rock won't take fine letters well. Take a photo and measurements to the engraver first, and ask whether they need the stone brought in or can work on site.
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] Across 15 US pet cemeteries' posted starting burial prices, the median entry price was about $600. Our estimate: median of starting prices [400,185,300,550,575,99,660.44,730,740,850,850,800,850,600,600]. How we calculate.
- [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.
- [8] At Great River Natural Burial, a natural boulder headstone costs $250, engraving starts at $670, and pet caskets cost $170–$250. Great River Natural Burial – Pet Cemetery Pricing, 2026.
- [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 Lakewood
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.