An outdoor memorial for your pet, made for Highland
Around 660 dogs and cats die in Highland each year, by our estimate. If yours was one of them, this guide covers which stones suit local weather, what they cost and where they can go.
- Engraving and proof steps explained
- Delivery weight and setting, planned ahead
- Quotes by email from makers who serve Highland
Highland, Utah
Choosing a pet memorial stone in Highland
Households in Highland tend to be large, and when a family animal dies, several children or grandparents may each want something to hold. Let the provider know before cremation that the ashes should come back in portions, or order a main urn with a set of small matching keepsakes. A teenager heading off to college can take a pendant along, while the rest stays at home.
Highland's generous lots give families room to create an outdoor memorial space: a ring of perennials circling a carved stone, a young maple near the patio, or a bench turned toward Timpanogos. Indoors, some households keep an urn near family photos. Many combine the two, with most of the ashes in the garden and a small portion kept in a keepsake inside.
Proofs matter even more when the maker is far away. If you order online or through a monument shop in a larger center such as Salt Lake City, ask for a digital proof showing the exact letters, spacing and any picture, and check it on your phone at arm's length. Spelling mistakes can't be sanded out of granite, and a return trip is a long drive.
Highland is home to about 21,571 people, the 46th-largest of the 52 Utah communities we cover. Salt Lake City, roughly 24 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Highland run from there.
For a second opinion on price, American Fork (3 miles), Lehi (4 miles, a larger centre) and Pleasant Grove (5 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Highland routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
7,950
Highland: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
21,571 ÷ 2.5 = 8,628 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 7,950. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
660
Estimated dog and cat losses in Highland each year
How we calculated this
7,950 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 660 a year. A floor, not a ceiling.
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.
The published sources behind those figures are American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Burial, cremation and headstones in Utah
Cremation is less common in Utah than in much of the world: about 46.1%[5] of people are cremated. That doesn't limit your options for a pet. Crematories serve most areas and a stone can mark ashes just as well as a grave. It simply means more families here choose burial, and stone makers are experienced with grave markers.
The Utah 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.
How the climate in Highland ages a memorial
Photo stones and sealed ashes compartments need extra care in a climate like Highland's. Summer sun around 95°F can dry out sealants, and water that gets in then freezes in January, February, November and December. Check the seal each fall, ask the maker whether the stone is rated for freeze-thaw, and keep the ashes in a waterproof inner bag.
Big seasonal swings move the ground. In Highland, soil freezes and swells in winter, then bakes and shrinks in summer, and both can tip a stone set straight onto dirt. A bed of 3 to 4 inches of compacted gravel under the stone is the simplest fix; for anything heavier, ask the maker about a small concrete footing.
How much to budget for a pet stone
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 Highland, a flat granite marker gives the best balance of lasting lettering and cost; the table shows the full range.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Utah: Utah costs. What each service includes is on the services page.
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 Utah
Pet cemeteries in Utah 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.
To find your county or city office in Utah, start with the official Utah local government directory.
Start with the Utah rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat Highland's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
A simple plan for your pet's memorial stone
- Decide whether each pet gets its own stone or they share one. A row of matching small markers suits a path; one larger stone with several names saves room.
- If you expect to add names later, leave space on purpose. Have the engraver set the first inscription high up and leave the rest of the face clear.
- Stay with one maker where you can, and note down which stone, which font and what size of lettering was used, so the next name can be matched exactly.
- Ask now what a second inscription will cost and whether the stone has to go back to the workshop or can be cut in place.
- Leave enough room between graves that stones don't crowd each other, and sketch a simple plan showing who rests where.
- Set every stone at the same height on the same gravel base, so the group settles evenly and the mower passes cleanly.
Making the stone a place to visit
Up near the canyon mouth, winter nights drop well below freezing and summer sun at close to 5,000 feet is fierce, a combination that splits cheap resin and bleaches painted finishes. Stone and cast bronze shrug it off. If a memorial tree appeals to you, pick a species that tolerates dry summers, such as a serviceberry or a Gambel oak, and keep it watered for its first couple of seasons while the roots settle.
run the numbers with the free planning tools, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, Our services overview lays out every option side by side, or see how other readers answered in our polls. Close to Highland we also cover Lehi, Provo, West Valley City and St. George; the full list for Utah 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.
What feels like the right amount to spend on a garden stone?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you moved house, what would happen to the memorial?
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 Highland?
The closest communities we cover are American Fork (about 3 miles), Lehi (about 4 miles) and Pleasant Grove (about 5 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Highland too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is Highland big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 7,950 Highland households keep a dog or cat and around 660 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 21,571), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Highland?
January, February, 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 95°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Is cremation common in Utah?
For people, yes: about 46.1%[5] of Utah 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 Highland follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
What do people usually engrave on a pet memorial stone?
Most choose the pet's name and years, plus one short line: a nickname, a place they loved or a phrase the family always said. A paw print or small outline is a popular alternative to words. Read the wording out loud, check the spelling with someone else and keep it short enough to read from the path.
How much does a pet memorial stone cost in Highland?
Published US prices give a good guide. Engraved garden stones start at ~$39[8], natural engraved river stones run $38–$115[9], flat granite markers start from $157.95[10] and upright granite headstones cost $258–$628[11] (per one large retailer). Delivery, a photo and cemetery setting fees are extra, so ask Highland makers for a written total.
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 Utah's cremation rate at 46.1% 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.
- [8] 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.
- [9] Adirondack Stone Works sells engraved natural-stone pet memorials from $38 (6–7 inch mini) to $115 (13–14 inch large), with 1–4 lines of text included. Adirondack Stone Works Pet Memorials, 2026.
- [10] Flat granite pet grave markers at Memorials.com start at $157.95. Memorials.com – Pet Memorial Stones, 2026.
- [11] Upright granite pet headstones at Memorials.com run $257.95–$627.95. Memorials.com – Pet Memorial Stones, 2026.
Price a pet memorial stone in Highland
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.