A lasting stone for your pet in Edina
Edina has an estimated 20,000 dog- or cat-owning households. When a stone is the memorial you want, the local climate, your yard and any HOA or lease rules all shape the right choice.
- Wording that fits a small stone
- Flush, raised or with an ashes compartment
- No pressure: a stone can wait until you're ready
Edina, Minnesota
Stone makers, yards and delivery in Edina
Some Edina families commission a portrait of their companion from a favorite photo, painted in oils, watercolor or pencil by a local or online artist. A portrait can hang in whichever room your companion favored for naps, and it pairs naturally with an urn on a nearby shelf. Allow several weeks for the work, and send the artist two or three clear photos.
Edina lots can be compact, especially in the older neighborhoods, but a small garden memorial still fits: a flat granite stone set flush in a flower bed, a bronze nameplate fixed to a garden gate, or a large planter of perennials by the steps. Choose materials that stand up to Minnesota winters, and bed any stone on gravel so it stays level.
Human cemeteries in towns like Edina generally don't accept pet burials, though a few have added pet sections or allow ashes in some circumstances. If you want your pet near a family plot, ask the cemetery office directly rather than assuming. Otherwise, a private stone on family land or at a regional pet cemetery is the usual route.
With roughly 54,356 residents, Edina is the 18th-largest of the 67 Minnesota communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Edina are based about 7 miles away in Minneapolis, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
The closest communities we cover are Richfield (3 miles), Hopkins (4 miles) and St. Louis Park (4 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Edina too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
20,000
How many dog- or cat-owning households Edina has (estimate)
How we calculated this
54,356 ÷ 2.5 = 21,742 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 20,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
1,650
dog and cat deaths per year in Edina, our estimate
How we calculated this
20,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,650 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.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry; we only apply it to this.
Local traditions and what they mean for a pet stone
About 68.5%[5] of people in Minnesota are cremated, a share that has been rising for years. Many families here grew up visiting headstones in a churchyard or town cemetery, and a stone for a pet can feel like a natural extension of that habit. Others prefer something less formal, such as an engraved river rock in a flower bed.
The Minnesota 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.
Frost, sun and damp: matching stone to Edina
Order in winter and set in spring is a good rhythm for Edina. Mortar and construction adhesive don't cure properly in the cold, and January lows around 9°F are far below what they need. If your stone has a separate base or a glued plaque, ask the maker to assemble it in the workshop rather than on a cold day in your yard.
Snow and salt are both hard on stone in Edina. A flush marker disappears under snow from January, February, March, November and December, so add a small stake or a tall plant nearby if you want to find it easily. Keep de-icing salt away from the memorial: salt draws water into stone and speeds up flaking, especially on limestone, marble and concrete.
Stone, engraving and setting: the real prices
Material sets the price tier. By our estimate, photo-etched or flat granite markers start at ~$158–$160[6] at two US sellers, roughly four times an entry-level engraved garden stone. Bronze-on-granite headstones run $1,098–$2,598[7] (per one large retailer). For most gardens in Edina, a flat granite marker gives the best balance of lasting lettering and cost; the table shows the full range.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Minnesota 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.
Where a pet stone can go in Minnesota
Burying a pet on land that belongs to someone else, such as a parent's farm or a friend's garden, needs the owner's clear agreement, and it's wise to note the spot for whoever owns the land next. The stone itself is usually the easy part. Our local notes on burial and scattering in Minnesota follow.
To find your county or city office in Minnesota, start with the official Minnesota local government directory.
The Minnesota page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Edina's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
From first idea to a stone in the ground
- Decide how much of the ashes belongs with the stone: all of them sealed inside, a small portion buried beneath, or none, with the stone simply marking a place your pet loved.
- If the stone will hold ashes, ask the maker for the cavity's volume and set it against the size of the bag or box that came back from the crematory. Our urn size calculator gives a rough figure for how much room the ashes take.
- Keep the ashes in a sealed waterproof pouch rather than pouring them straight into the stone; unbagged, they absorb damp and set into lumps.
- Place the stone as soon as it arrives if you like. With no grave to settle, many families time it for a birthday or the first warm weekend.
- Pick a spot that stays yours, such as a patio corner or a large planter, if there's a chance you'll relocate.
- Write down what's inside the stone and keep the note with your household papers, so nobody later mistakes it for a garden ornament.
Around the stone: plants, benches and small rituals
A gift in your companion's name can be a lasting memorial. Some families give to an animal shelter, a rescue group or a veterinary school fund, perhaps on the animal's birthday each year. Many organizations mail an acknowledgment card to the family, which can be kept with the collar and the ashes as part of a small remembrance box on a shelf.
For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, use the free tools before you ring anyone, or see how other readers answered in our polls, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Rochester and Duluth, and every city in Minnesota.
Reader polls
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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
Is cremation common in Minnesota?
For people, yes: about 68.5%[5] of Minnesota 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 Edina follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Is Edina big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 20,000 Edina households keep a dog or cat and around 1,650 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 54,356), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Edina?
The closest communities we cover are Richfield (about 3 miles), Hopkins (about 4 miles) and St. Louis Park (about 4 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Edina too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Edina?
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 83°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
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.
There's no stone maker in Edina. What are my options?
Online makers ship small engraved stones almost anywhere, and a larger center such as Minneapolis usually has a monument company that will cut a pet marker. Many will email a proof so you only make one trip, or deliver on their next run out your way. Ask whether they'll engrave a stone from your own land.
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 Minnesota's cremation rate at 68.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Photo-etched or flat granite pet markers start at about $158–$160 at two US sellers. Our estimate: Memorials.com flat granite from $157.95; Comfort Co. photo granite from $159.99. How we calculate.
- [7] Bronze-on-granite pet headstones at Memorials.com run from $1,097.95 to $2,597.95 (with vase). Memorials.com – Pet Memorial Stones, 2026.
Ask for pet stone options near Edina
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.