Marking your pet's resting place in Summit
By our count, roughly 710 Summit 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.
- Engraving and proof steps explained
- Delivery weight and setting, planned ahead
- Quotes by email from makers who serve Summit
Summit, New Jersey
Stone makers, yards and delivery in Summit
Mantels, built-in shelves and established gardens are common in Summit homes, which leaves plenty of room to choose between an urn indoors, a stone or plant outside, or something small enough to carry. Commuters who spend long days in Manhattan sometimes like a pendant or keyring holding a pinch of ash. Ashes can be split between several keepsakes; ask the provider to portion them when you first make arrangements.
A paw print, nose print or clipping of fur is easiest to take before cremation, so mention it at the very start. Summit families tend to favor pieces that sit quietly in a traditional house: a dark wooden box, a framed ink print, a small engraved garden stone. Preservation is also possible for some animals, though it takes months and costs considerably more than a standard keepsake.
Small towns often have long family ties to the land. If the property may be sold one day, think about where the stone goes: a marker in the middle of the lawn may be moved by new owners, while one set near a boundary tree or in a planted bed is more likely to stay. You can also choose a stone light enough to take with you.
Summit's population is around 23,314, the 42nd-largest of the 58 New Jersey communities we cover. Newark, roughly 10 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Summit run from there.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Short Hills (3 miles), Westfield (4 miles) and Roselle (7 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
8,600
Summit: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
23,314 ÷ 2.5 = 9,326 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 8,600. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
710
Summit families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
8,600 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 710 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.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science; we only apply it to this.
Grave or ashes? The local habit in New Jersey
Even with cremation at roughly 56.5%[5] of human deaths in New Jersey, local churchyards and cemeteries are full of short, formal inscriptions. Some families like that tone for a pet: a full name and two dates. Others want the nickname, the squeaky toy and a joke only the family gets. Both are right, and the stone is small enough to say only one thing well.
Source for the New Jersey number: NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Summit, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
Choosing a stone that suits Summit's seasons
Engraving depth matters most where winters are long. In Summit, with freezing lows through January, February and December, ice sits in shallow letters and slowly softens their edges. Ask for sandblasted lettering at least an eighth of an inch deep on granite, avoid painted-only designs, and read our guide to outdoor stone grade and engraving depth before you order.
Cold snaps in Summit, when lows average around 26°F in January, can crack stones that hold water. Stones with an ashes cavity need a good seal so water doesn't collect inside and freeze. If yours has a screw plate or plug, check it in the fall, and ask the maker whether the stone is rated for outdoor use in freezing climates.
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.
For a line-by-line price table, see the New Jersey 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 New Jersey
Public land is where most families run into limits. Parks, beaches and trails almost never allow a personal stone, and scattering ashes there may need permission or be restricted. The usual answer is to scatter or remember your pet at a public spot, then set the stone somewhere private. What we know for New Jersey is below.
Not sure which office covers Summit? The New Jersey local government directory is the official list.
For New Jersey's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the New Jersey guide. Local rules in Summit can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
From first idea to a stone in the ground
- Work out what the stone is marking: the body itself, ashes in the ground, the place where ashes were scattered, or just a favorite corner of the yard.
- 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. Anything painted or printed onto the surface looks sharp when new and dulls after a few seasons of sun and rain.
- 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.
Making the stone a place to visit
Because Summit's ground freezes from December through February, an outdoor memorial usually waits for spring. Granite and bronze handle repeated frost far better than thin resin, and a biodegradable tree urn settles in more easily when planted in April or October rather than in cold, hard soil. Ashes keep indefinitely in a sealed container, so holding them indoors through the winter and deciding once the garden wakes up is completely reasonable.
read our guides and latest articles, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, or compare your instinct with the poll results, The services page is the place to compare what is included. If you live between Summit and Clifton, Elizabeth, Jersey City and Trenton, either page applies. Every other community in New Jersey, 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.
Where would your pet's stone go?
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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
Where are the providers that serve Summit actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Newark, about 10 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Summit and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
How does Summit's weather affect pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Summit, with average highs around 87°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
Is cremation common in New Jersey?
For people, yes: about 56.5%[5] of New Jersey 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 Summit follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Summit?
Usually yes. Short Hills is about 3 miles away, Westfield is about 4 miles away and Roselle is about 7 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
How heavy is a granite pet grave marker?
Granite weighs roughly 165 to 170 lb per cubic foot, so a 12 x 6 inch marker 2 inches thick weighs about 14 lb, and a 16 x 8 inch marker 3 inches thick is close to 40 lb. Upright headstones with a base can weigh well over 100 lb. Heavier pieces usually ship by freight and may be delivered to the curb only.
Can I have my pet's photo etched onto a stone?
Yes. Makers use a laser on polished black granite to create a gray-scale portrait. Results depend on the picture: send the original file, taken in daylight, with your pet looking toward the camera. Dark pets on dark backgrounds and pale pets on pale ones lose their outline, so ask for background removal and approve a proof.
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 New Jersey's cremation rate at 56.5% 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] 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.
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